


The Airway

by Missicle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Childhood Friends, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-08-24 18:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16645916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missicle/pseuds/Missicle
Summary: By all accounts, Sawamura Daichi was a perfectly normal twenty-nine year old man. Those who knew him well might have even chosen a more flattering description of him, referring to him as ‘exceptional’ or ‘a stand up guy’. He lived in a small, perfectly normal house, located just a few miles outside of his hometown, had a perfectly normal daytime job, and pursued perfectly normal (if not stand-up member of society-level) hobbies. He was well-liked and was respected by all who knew him. He did his best to live a fulfilling and productive life, and his parents couldn’t have been more proud of him.But for all his ‘normalcy’ and ‘productivity’, Sawamura Daichi had a secret: he was in love with a man he'd only ever seen in his dreams, every night for as long as he could remember.





	1. A Day in the Life of Sawamura Daichi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _When I am fast asleep..._

By all accounts, Sawamura Daichi was a perfectly normal twenty-nine year old man. Those who knew him well might have even chosen a more flattering description of him, referring to him as ‘exceptional’ or ‘a stand up guy’.

He lived in a small, perfectly normal house, located just a few miles outside of his hometown, which he’d purchased on the eve of his twenty-seventh birthday with a combination of his personal savings and a respectable inheritance his grandparents had left him. His home was modest, the outside light grey with shutters painted a darker grey which, in turn, matched the roof. The lawn was generally well-manicured by none other than Daichi himself, who took great pride in just how far his skills with a lawn mower and some hedge clippers had come since the biggest purchase of his life.

Every morning at six-thirty, a pair of perfectly normal, sharp brown eyes shot open, while a self-possessed hand sought out the alarm clock. Almost effortly, the young man rose and dressed himself before dashing out his front door, ready to face the morning-- regardless of weather-- head on with a jog around the neighborhood. A perfectly-synced timer on Daichi’s coffee machine began brewing his morning cup at the same time that the dark-haired man stepped into the shower, which would inevitably be finished before his first drink of the day was done percolating. Each morning, Daichi carefully dressed himself in a perfectly normal, neatly manicured business-casual outfit, generally choosing a light (sometimes patterned) button-down shirt, a pair of dark pants, and a colorful tie to bring the getup together. With his coffee in one hand and something simple, be it a banana or a granola bar, in the other, the spiky-haired man would leave his house for the day, settling into his small, perfectly normal compact car at precisely quarter after seven.

Daichi would then drive half an hour away to his perfectly normal day job as a manager at a fairly successful accounting firm. It wasn’t exactly glamorous, but the pay was good, the hours were fair, and some of his coworkers were a lot of fun to be around. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d landed the position he’d worked his way into over the last six years. He’d graduated from a reasonably prestigious university with a degree in criminal justice, but the law-enforcement market was saturated, and he didn’t feel that he had it in him to work in law or social work. A college friend of his had told him about an entry-level opening at the company he worked for, and Daichi-- for lack of better alternatives-- applied, was hired, and slowly worked his way through the ranks until he held the highest day-to-day position in the office. Of course, he had his own higher ups to answer to, but his meetings with them were few and far between, and he nearly always presented them with respectable numbers.

He spent exactly forty-five hours a week in that perfectly normal, tall, white office building. No more, no less. The particular accounts that his firm managed meant that there were no ‘emergencies’, no ‘urgencies’, and any ‘screw ups’ could easily be handled on the next business day.

When he wasn’t working, he kept himself busy through a wide variety of perfectly normal activities. He was the captain of his local neighborhood volleyball league, who did their best to meet up at least twice a week. On Friday evenings he volunteered at the local food bank and tried to get in at least one night a month of volunteer work at the local homeless shelter.

Sawamura Daichi was a hard worker. He was well-liked and was respected by all who knew him, even the limited few who didn’t quite ‘like’ him. He did his best to live a fulfilling and productive life, and his parents couldn’t have been more proud of him.

But for all his ‘normalcy’ and ‘productivity’, Sawamura Daichi had a secret, though even that secret could be considered ‘tame’: every night, without fail, Daichi dreamt of one specific person, to the point where he felt that their relationship was no less real or valid than his relationships with his family, friends, or coworkers. Who this person was, however, he could not even begin to try to explain, no matter how hard he tried.

 

Years upon years ago, when the handsome man known as Sawamura Daichi was but a small, scrawny five-year-old, his family went on a beach vacation that would change his life. His memory of most of the week-long getaway was foggy, but the one thing he could recall as if it were yesterday was the boy he spent most of his time playing with.

The boy was about his age, fair-skinned, with hair so light that it almost appeared to be silver. The boy was funny and smart, and they spent hours upon hours just laughing together, playing in the sand, and exploring. Even as a young child, Daichi could tell that there was something _different_ about this boy-- something that made him stand apart from everyone else Daichi had ever met. Perhaps it was how easily they got along-- as if they were brothers or lifelong friends. Or perhaps it was how he always seemed to know the answers to everything. Most likely, however, it was the fact that the boy’s feet did not touch the ground.

That, in itself, would’ve been remarkable-- meeting a boy who did not walk as Daichi himself did, who seemed to just _hover_ mere centimeters above the ground-- but that was not the most remarkable part of this encounter.

When it came time to leave, Daichi’s family was convinced that the young boy had spent the time playing by himself, and swore up and down that they saw no such ‘floating boy’. And, as much as Daichi searched, he was unable to find the silver-haired boy in order to say goodbye. He was heartbroken and distraught, and though he did his best to ‘be a big boy’, he still couldn’t help but cry every time he thought about his lost friend. He’d probably gotten lectured by his father about five times from when they left their vacation house to when they arrived at home that evening, but try as he might, Daichi couldn’t stop crying. As his mother tucked him in, she reassured him, whispering, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll see him when we go back next year. And you’ll have a _whole year’s_ worth of stories to tell! No need to cry, my love.” Daichi was asleep before his mother pulled her lips back from his forehead.

That night, he found the boy in the realms of his dreams. It didn’t make much sense at the time, but as the years flowed past in which the young boy (and soon, young man) continually met the silver-haired boy in his sleep, the 'why's seemed to fade away, only to be replaced with the comfort of knowing that he had near-constant company; all he had to do was shut his eyes.

 

Daichi never did wind up running into the strange boy again, but on beautiful days where fluffy clouds seemed to blaze against the blue backdrop of the sky, Daichi could occasionally swear that he saw him out of the corner of his eye.

He did his best to forge on through life in spite of the feeling that he was missing something deep down in his soul, knowing full well that the gaping hole in his spirit was left by the boy he’d barely known for a week, who had since pervaded his every dream. He worked hard every day, enthusiastically exhausting himself that his sleep would be that much deeper, that much sweeter, so he could reunite with the boy he’d spent his whole life missing that much faster.

His family and friends often questioned his love life, wondering when he might start searching for a life partner. Daichi dismissed their concerns with the claim that he was ‘unlucky in love’, finding this a more palatable option than the thought of telling them the truth: that his heart held no room for anyone other than the silver-haired boy, now a man, who lived in his dreams. It was as if Daichi had blinders on to anyone besides that boy from so long ago. Countless women expressed an interest in him, from subtle signs like laughing just a little bit too much at his jokes or playing with their hair while he spoke to them, to the more obvious indicators like directly confessing their love to him. For his part, Daichi was largely oblivious to their affections in all except the rare cases where those interested in him literally spelled it out so he couldn't misunderstand; for those who weren't so brazen, Daichi's obliviousness was often interpreted as disinterest or rejection, when, in reality, the young man had scarcely noticed their attention at all. He was simply too focused on the one who was missing from his life.

There was only one person he’d ever confessed the reality of his love life to: his best friend, Azumane Asahi. To his credit, if Asahi thought Daichi was crazy, he didn’t treat him as such. He listened to Daichi with patience and understanding, and, unlike the rest of Daichi’s friends, didn’t attempt to set him up with women he knew, for which Daichi was eternally grateful.

There was a part of Daichi that couldn’t help but feel frustrated and lost and alone. But still he waited for the day when he would be able to meet the boy from the beach-- the man who haunted his dreams-- once more in waking life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I've posted this fic before, months ago. But my life got really hectic, and I only had two chapters published (interestingly enough, this one chapter was previously these **two** ). I figured it was just easier to delete it and repost it when I was ready, rather than having the pressure of just letting it sit there untouched.
> 
> This is a passion project for me. I've never written such an elaborate AU before, but I love the plot line I have and look forward to seeing where it goes. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading :)))


	2. The Problem With Technology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi is thrown off his rhythm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...I dream and see you floating high above me._

Sawamura Daichi’s days were often nearly identical, with Mondays frequently blending into Tuesdays, Tuesdays into Wednesdays, and before he knew it it was Friday at 8pm and he was pulling into his own driveway wondering where the week went. While he did his best to change up his routines on weekday evenings and the weekends, it always felt like he was stuck in a time loop, destined to repeat the same week over and over again for the rest of his life. He didn’t particularly _mind_ this; Daichi was a creature of habit, after all. If asked, the only complaint he could have about his life was that, deep down inside of him, he always felt like there was something _missing_.

Every week passed in much the same way, with Daichi Sawamura, ever a creature of habit, clinging to his routine as if it were one of the most fundamental building blocks of who he was. But then, one day in early April, his routine suddenly and inexplicably changed.

Daichi woke up leisurely on that clear spring morning. He snuggled his sheets up to his face and just lavished the feeling of being in bed, waking up to his own circadian rhythm, even going to so far as to consider going back to sleep before something stuck out in his own mind. _‘Waking up on my own’,_ was a thought that floated through his mind, but for some reason that thought kept repeating over and over again. _‘Waking up on my own’,_ he thought, _‘Waking up on my own… … … Why doesn’t that sound right? ...Waking up…’._

Daichi sat bolt upright in a panic and grabbed his phone. Clicking it awake, the screen blared, THURSDAY, APRIL 3RD - 7:05AM. The young man catapulted himself out of bed in a frenzy. He forwent his run and his shower, choosing to just pull on the outfit he’d neatly set out the night before. _‘My alarm didn’t go off!’,_ he mumbled to himself in a panic as he tried to pull on his pants as quickly as possible, _‘That’s never happened before!’._ As he hurriedly brushed his teeth, he found himself wondering, in passing, if maybe his alarm _had_ gone off, but he was so tired that he turned it off in his sleep. The day before had been a particularly grueling day at work, which was then followed by an extremely rigorous practice match with his neighborhood volleyball team. By the time he’d gotten home, he was beat. So maybe…

Daichi simply didn't have the time to contemplate the situation much further. It was already 7:20, which was well past his daily departure time of 7:15. He would be cutting it close; if there was _any_ traffic at all, he’d be late to work for the first time ever. Daichi quickly poured his coffee into a travel mug and reached for a banana, and was surprised to see there were none left. He rummaged through his cupboard looking for a granola bar and was frustrated to find that he didn’t seem to have any of his second breakfast choice, either. With a sigh he grabbed a bruised apple from his fruit bowl and headed out to his car.

Even in spite of how frustrating his morning had been so far, he couldn’t ignore what a beautiful day it was already. The sky was a light, clear blue and the air, while slightly chilly, made him rethink the coat he’d thrown on; it was obvious that the day was going to warm up and be the first _nice_ spring day of the year. Daichi opened the passenger side door of his car, quickly tossed his briefcase in, and shut it before climbing in on the drivers side. The moment his dashboard came to life, an alarming light caught his eye, letting him know that, _apparently,_ one of his tires was running low on air pressure. With an exasperated exclamation, the young man clambored back out of his car and circled it, trying to figure out if his tire situation was something that he could deal with when he got out work. He went around the back of the car, checking each tire as he walked. Rear driver’s side tire: fine. Rear passenger’s side tire: fine. Front passenger’s side tire: fine. He was almost at the point of dismissing the light as a computer error when he rounded the front of the car and found… that his tire was completely flat. _“Oh, come on!”,_ he groaned, peeling off his coat and suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves before popping his trunk open.

He set to work on jacking up his car as quickly as he could. He removed the bolts from the offending tire, dismounted it, and returned to his trunk to pull out his spare tire. As soon as he set it on the ground, though, his heart sank. “No…”, he whispered in horror, pressing his finger into the tire and finding that the impression he made didn’t immediately fill back up. Another flat. _“Today is just not my day”,_ Daichi grumbled under his breath. He tossed the spare back in his trunk, quickly threw the regular tire back on, tightened the bolts, and lowered the car. Daichi grabbed his coffee and his briefcase and headed back into his house.

The first thing he did was call his assistant manager, who was also on the way to work. “Hey”, he said once his coworker answered his call, “I’m gonna be late this morning. I’ve got a flat, so I’m gonna have to catch the bus. I’ll send an e-mail to the office summing up what our morning meeting would’ve been. ...yeah. ...yep. Okay, I’ll keep you updated. Bye.”

With another sigh, Daichi pulled up the public transport map online. The nearest bus stop to his house was over three quarters of a mile away, which would take him about twenty minutes to walk. He checked the bus schedule and frowned; the next bus would be at the stop in about the same time it was supposed to take him to walk there, give or take a minute or two. “Of course”, he muttered, pulling his jacket back on, grabbing his coffee, and bolting out the door. On his walk, he called his mechanic, with whom he was quite close after years of nothing more than predictable, routine maintenance, and asked them to bring out two new tires. He then quickly composed an email to his office staff, letting them know that he would be in by ten, and that they should all continue work on the project that was due the next day.

His walk took him from his fairly remote neighborhood over to the more populous downtown area of the small town in which he lived. He walked along the main street and noted how the traffic seemed to be picking up. A bit of anxiety creeping in, Daichi checked his phone for the time once more and saw that he only had three minutes to get to the bus stop. He did his best to pick up the pace of his walk without breaking into a sweat, crossing streets as quickly as he could to try to beat the bus to the stop; otherwise, he’d have to wait another _forty minutes_ for the next bus.

He was only two blocks away from the stop when a familiar melody began blaring from deep within within the pocket of his pants; he quickly pulled out his cell phone and frowned at the noisy intrusion on his life at a time when he was already so on edge. His frown deepened to a full-on scowl when he saw that the reason for all the noise was just an automated text message from his mechanic, confirming his order. Shaking his head frustratedly, Daichi went to slip his phone in his jacket pocket… and heard it clatter onto the street below. He looked back and there, in the crosswalk behind him, lay his phone, face down. _“Great”,_ he grumbled audibly, irritation prickling up his spine as he turned backwards to retrieve it, _“With my luck today, I bet the screen broke”._

He stopped for a moment and inhaled; while he _had_ the money to replace his phone, it was yet another thing that went wrong in this unusually bad day of Daichi's, and he wasn't sure how much more bad news he could handle at the moment.

With a sigh of frustration, the young man bent down to grab his phone, and as the tips of his fingers grazed his device, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a veritable cacophony. First, and most notably, was the jarring sound of a horn, blaring dangerously close to where he stood. There was the sound of brakes squealing, accompanied by the screech of rubber tires grinding on asphalt. Most confusingly though came the sound of his own name being screamed in a gut-wrenching panic.

Daichi’s head snapped up, his pupils contracting as they connected with the sight of a commuter bus barreling straight towards him. Its brakes were screeching as it tried against all hope to stop in time, while its horn roared a desperate plea, begging for him to move out of the way. Daichi didn't have time to think. His body was completely frozen,  completely paralyzed by fear. He did the only thing he could do and clenched his eyes shut in terror. Moments later he swore he heard someone yelling his name, felt a strong impact, and then… darkness.

 

 


	3. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi wakes up in a strange environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _When I awake at dawn..._

It took Daichi a long time to understand where he was. He was light headed. He was dizzy. His brain was foggy. His head _hurt._ There were many sounds in his environment that he couldn’t quite figure out, especially when he opened his eyes and saw that he’d been asleep in a dark room. Eventually he pieced together that he was in a hospital, and slowly the memories started coming back. His alarm not going off. The flat tire. The flat _spare_ tire. Running late to catch the bus. And then…

He shuddered at the thought of having gotten hit by a bus; with all the fragments of his memory combined, he had to assume that was why he was in the hospital. Very slowly, he moved to wiggle the fingers on his right hand and was sincerely surprised when he felt them respond to his command. He did the same with his left fingers, a wave of relief crashing over him when they, too, did as they were instructed. He then repeated this process with the toes on both feet, moving one set at a time. He then bent his right leg, then straightened it, and did the same with his left. So far as he could tell, he, at the very least, didn’t break anything in his legs. He moved his left arm, straightening it out perpendicular to his shoulder. Everything felt okay. He repeated this with his right arm, and found that he was experiencing a fair amount of pain in his collarbone. His heart sank at the thought of a serious injury; his volleyball team heavily depended on him, and he hated the idea of having to be off the court for any extended period of time.

Using his left hand, he began touching the rest of his body, feeling to make sure that he was still intact. Aside from the pain around his right collarbone (and some mild soreness around his right shoulder), everything felt fine until he got to his head, where he found a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his skull. “That can’t be good”, he mumbled to himself.

It wasn’t long after he finished his self-assessment when a nurse came running into his room, flipping on the lights and briefly blinding him. “Sawamura!”, exclaimed a woman’s voice. As he slowly pried his eyes open, Daichi found an unsettlingly familiar face by his bedside. It took him a moment, but eventually the young man choked out, “...Michimiya?”. The nurse bit her lip and nodded. “Oh, Sawamura!”, she sighed, “I’m so glad you’re okay! I was so worried when I heard what happened!”.

“What… happened?”, he repeated slowly. Michimiya nodded. “You were apparently about to be hit by a bus, but at the last minute you jumped out of the way. The bus missed you by _centimeters._ ” Daichi stared at his former classmate blankly. “Wait…”, he started, “...I _didn’t_ get hit by that bus?”. “Oh, God no!”, she breathed, “It was really close, but if you had gotten hit, you probably wouldn’t be here right now.” “That doesn’t make any sense”, Daichi frowned, “I felt an impact right after I shut my eyes…”. “It’s okay, Sawamura”, the young woman cooed, “A lot of people have fractured memories after accidents. You probably just felt yourself landing on the pavement.” Again Daichi frowned. “If the bus didn’t hit me”, he started, “Why am I in the hospital? And-- for that matter-- I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you, but… Why are _you_ here?”. Michimiya giggled slightly before replying, “I’m a nurse here, Sawamura. I’ve worked here since I finished college. And, as for you, you hit your head on the pavement and got a huge gash on your forehead. I’ll let the doctor give you your official report, but they did all sorts of testing and you don’t have any obvious fractures or broken bones or anything. No concussion either. You needed three stitches, and your right shoulder is bruised pretty badly, but otherwise, you really got lucky. It’s a miracle you’re still alive, honestly.” Daichi nodded slowly; Michimiya had just given him a lot to take in.

“Are you in any pain or anything?”, she asked sincerely. Daichi shrugged, “My head hurts a little, but I guess that makes sense with what you’ve just told me.” “Do you want any pain medication for it or anything?”, the nurse asked. Her former classmate shook his head gently. “No… I think I just need to sleep. When do you think I’ll be able to go home?”. Michimiya simpered, “Not until tomorrow morning at least, I’m afraid. But, you’re right-- you should try to get some sleep. I’ll let you be then.” “Wait”, Daichi called as the young woman turned to leave, “Have you seen my phone?”. Michimiya thought on this for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think I’ve seen it. But I can bring you your things and let you look through them if you’d like…”. Daichi smiled and nodded, “If you could, that’d be great.”

The two sorted through Daichi’s belongings for several minutes, ultimately coming up empty handed. “Damn it”, the dark-haired man mumbled, “That phone’s the whole reason behind everything that happened today.” “Sorry”, Michimiya simpered as she stood and clasped Daichi’s bag, “I’ll put your stuff back in the closet over here. Try to get some rest. Maybe somebody found it and turned it in or something.” “Yeah, maybe...”, Daichi replied with a frown.

With another smile, Michimiya left the room, closing the door gently behind her. Daichi did his best to try to settle into bed and relax; it wasn’t like he had much else that he _could_ do.

 

Daichi wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he began to stir, his ears perking up in response to an unidentifiable noise across his room. Sleep still heavy in his eyes, the young accountant tried to ignore the sounds, thinking to himself under the fog of sleep that it was just a nurse or a doctor coming in to run some tests. Daichi soon found himself unable to ignore the strange noise once a hand grabbed his arm. He opened his eyes slowly and turned to look to his right and was absolutely shocked to see the man he’d spent every moment of every dream of his with standing by his side, clutching him tightly.

“S- Sugawara?”, the dark haired man asked in total astonishment, his voice breathless as he tried his best to figure out whether he was dreaming or awake. There was a part of him that felt as if the limited lighting in the room was playing tricks on his eyes, though that idea was shattered when the familiar voice called back, “Daichi, you idiot!”. The newcomer threw himself across Daichi’s sore chest and began sobbing into him. Daichi was absolutely stunned and had no idea what to do; he slowly wrapped his arms around the fair man that had appeared out of nowhere and began rubbing his back up and down, whispering, “It’s okay-- I’m okay.”

Sugawara sat up, his hands still resting on Daichi’s chest as he made no effort to shield the fact that his eyes were overflowing with tears. Shaking his head violently, the blond cried, “You almost _died_ today! How was I supposed to go on without you?!”. “Without me…?”, Daichi repeated, “...Suga, we’ve only seen each other in my dreams… I have to imagine you’ve been okay without me so far, if this is the first time we’re meeting since we were children. Or--”. Daichi stopped and looked around before quickly pinching his arm, “Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?”. Suga laughed through the tears and shook his head. “No, dummy, this is real. ...And how can you even _say_ that I’ve been okay without you?! Daichi, I sneak away to see you as often as I can! And I _know_ that you know this!” Daichi looked dumbfounded. “You… what?”, the dark-haired man repeated. Sugawara shook his head. “I don’t have much time tonight. But I promise, I’ll be back, and I’ll explain everything.” “‘Don’t have much time’?”, Daichi repeated. The light-blonde man frowned. “Why are you repeating everything I’m saying? ...I mean, I know you hit your head-- there wasn’t really much I could do about that, all things considered, but--” “‘Wasn’t much you could do’?”, Daichi repeated, eliciting another frown from Sugawara.

“Daichi”, Suga started, a severe look taking over his otherwise soft and gentle face, “You _know_ I keep an eye on you, right? I mean, _technically speaking,_ I’m not allowed to be talking to you at all, but I figured it doesn’t hurt anyone if I just stay _near_ you...” “Wait, why aren’t you allowed--”, started Daichi, only to be cut off by the silvery-blond once more. “Another time, Daichi”, Suga said sternly, “We don’t have much time right now. I _promise,_ I’ll explain it to you soon. But-- just confirm for me-- you _do_ know that I come see you, right?”. “I-- I think so”, Daichi said quietly, “I never _actually_ see you, but I keep swearing I can see you out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was just wishful thinking, but…”. “Nope”, grinned Sugawara mischievously, “that’s me you see! ...Well, anyway, I saw that you were having a terrible day today, and it absolutely broke my heart. I wanted to stay as close by you as possible, in case there was anything at all I could do to make your day just a little bit better. And, while I was nearby, I saw you drop your black rectangle. And I saw the bus coming. And… well… I did what I had to do. I couldn’t let you get hurt.” Daichi sat forward in the bed and, looking into Sugawara’s eyes, asked, “Suga... are you saying that you stopped the bus from hitting me?”. A light flush coated the blonde’s cheeks and he averted his eyes from Daichi’s. “Well, I didn’t stop the _bus”,_ he admitted, “I just gave you a little push.”

“Suga…”, Daichi gasped, unsure of how to process the fact that was holding hands with the man responsible for saving his life. “Oh!”, Sugawara exclaimed, reaching into a messenger-style bag he had draped across his chest, “I also have… this!”. With that, he extracted his hand from his bag and offered Daichi... “My cell phone!”, the dark-haired man exclaimed. “Your rectangle!”, Sugawara grinned, handing it over to its owner.

“You really were there…”, an awestruck Daichi muttered under his breath. His grin broadening further, Suga laughed, “Of course I was! That’s why _you’re_ still _here!”._ Daichi sat quietly for a moment before looking back up at the other man on his bed. “Sugawara…”, he started quietly, “...is this real?”. A small giggle escaped Suga’s lips as he replied, “Yes, Daichi, this is real. But-”. Suddenly the blond stood up, letting Daichi’s hand fall softly against the bed., “I’m afraid that the trouble I’ll be in if someone realizes I’m missing is _also_ real. So I have to go.” “Suga--”, started the dark-haired man, only to be cut off by the other. “I’m sorry, Daichi, I really am”, frowned Sugawara,  “But I’ll be back soon, I promise.” “How soon?”, begged Daichi, reaching desperately to regain Sugawara’s hand as the blonde began backing away. “Soon”, Suga smiled sadly, “Very soon. As soon as possible. But, until then… I’ll see you in the land of dreams, right?”. “...Right”, Daichi nodded sadly, doing his best to force a smile but ultimately failing.

The blonde continued stepping backwards until his back hit the wall, at which point Sugawara pulled the window to the hospital room open. Daichi jumped up in a panic as he attempted to free himself from the confines of the sheet atop his legs. “You can go out the door, you know!”, he cried as he struggled against the blankets, his mobility restricted by the IV that he only just realized was solidly anchored in his left arm. Suga glanced over his shoulder and again offered a sad smile as he quietly replied. “Thank you for worrying, but I really can’t. I can’t risk having any other human see me.”

Daichi’s mouth began tracing the word, ‘human’ in confusion when, all of a sudden, a broad pair of silver wings appeared seemingly out of nowhere, attached to Sugawara’s back. “I’ll see you soon”, the blond grinned, and with that, he stepped out of the window, apparently sliding it shut behind him once he was outside of Daichi’s room.

Daichi moved to get out of the bed and, once again, felt a pull from his left arm; it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to follow Sugawara-- at least, not with the IV in his arm.

 


	4. Best Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi has a conversation with his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...before the rays of morning paint the front lawn._

“I'm telling you, I know what I saw!”, Daichi explained as he paced his living room floor. Seated on the couch adjacent to him was his best friend, Asahi Azumane, who, at present, had a look of utmost concern plastered across his face.

“Daichi…”, started the tall brunette, “...you know you just got a _head injury,_ right?”. Daichi stopped pacing for a moment and shot a glare at Asahi. _“Yes”_ , he started, his hand unconsciously wandering up to the bandage wrapped around his forehead, “I am aware of this. But that doesn't change what I saw--”. “You don't think that it might've all been a vivid dream, or a hallucination or something?”, asked Asahi, his frown deepening. “No”, scowled Daichi, “I **don't** .” The goateed man adjusted his position on the couch, moving towards the end of the cushion as he tried to get his best friend to see reason. “How can you be _sure_ that something so fantastical actually happened? I mean, I know you're convinced that you've dreamt of him every night since you were a child, but… you have to understand how it sounds… a _winged man_ saved your life then _climbed in through your hospital window to say hi?”._

Daichi opened and closed his mouth several times, as he thought of any way he could possibly refute Asahi’s argument. Deep down inside, he knew that he had to admit it: Asahi had a point. With a great sigh, Daichi sat down next to Asahi, his whole body facing the man who was one day younger than him. “Asahi… I get it. I totally do. I can only _imagine_ how I’d react if our roles were reversed. Trust me-- I’ve thought about it a **lot** , especially over the last few hours. I mean, there were many points in the last twenty four hours that I had to question my own sanity. ...But… ultimately, no matter how crazy I think this whole situation is, everything comes back to the fact that I have _evidence._ ” “Evidence?”, Asahi repeated, skepticism rolling off his tongue. Daichi nodded with a smirk. The young man sprung up from the couch and plunged his hand into his pants pocket, quickly pulling from it…

“Your cell phone?”, asked Asahi, cocking his head slightly, “...did you get a picture of him or something?”. A frown flashed across Daichi’s face as he admitted that, no, he did not have a picture of the man he was talking about, but as he continued speaking, his expression brightened a bit, saying, “If you recall, all of this started because of my phone. It fell out of my pocket-” “--you mean, you dropped it”, interrupted the taller man, earning a glare from his friend before Daichi continued, “Michimiya and I searched through everything I owned for my phone with no luck. No one I knew was at the scene to bring it to the hospital for me. But…” “I suppose you're going to tell me your flying crush brought your phone to you?”, Asahi sighed, leaning back on the couch once more. “Yes!”, exclaimed Daichi, “Don't you see? I dropped my phone in the crosswalk! I almost got hit by a bus before I was able to pick the phone up! Michimiya helped me turn my briefcase inside out looking for the phone! And yet, here I am, with my phone! Look-- the corner of my screen even cracked where it hit the pavement!”. As if punctuate his statement, Daichi thrust his phone into Asahi's face; the younger man waved his hand, brushing Daichi’s phone off. “Yes, _yes,_ it’s cracked, I get it. But have you considered the possibility that maybe you _did_ bring your phone with you, and just dreamt that Michimiya helped you look for it last night? I mean-- seriously, Daichi-- the idea that you just _happened_ to be taken to the same hospital where Michimiya, of all people, worked, at the exact time that she was working, to the exact department she was working at, where she then had to see _and_ recognize your name… that _alone_ is so spectacularly coincidental that if you’d only told me _that much,_ I would’ve said you were dreaming!”.

Daichi stood still for a moment before slowly lowering himself onto the couch beside Asahi once more. He was frowning so deeply, as he wracked his brain for literally anything he could say to convince his friend that he wasn’t absolutely out of his mind, that deep creases formed along his bandaged forehead.

With a great sigh, Daichi turned to his best friend and pulled out the last card that he could play; if this didn't work, then the dark-haired man was certain that nothing he could say would convince Asahi that he wasn't crazy. “Asahi”, Daichi started slowly, “We’ve been friends for a decade. You know me better than anyone else in the world. And, well, I’d like to think that I’m not generally prone to spouting nonsense. ...I _know_ this whole thing sounds like some sort of fairytale or something, and I honestly don't blame you for being skeptical. I mean, you’re literally the only person I’ve _ever_ told about him-- because I know exactly how it would look to someone who didn’t trust that I’m at least _somewhat_ sane. But-- I’m telling you-- he’s _real,_ and I met him last night! Please, just _try_ to believe that I know what I’m saying…”. Asahi tilted his head back and studied the ceiling for a moment before sighing, “You’re not listening to me.” The slightly-older man turned and looked quizzically at Asahi as he tried to figure out what, exactly, the brunette was referring to. “...what are you talking about?”, Daichi finally asked, having wholly failed to understand why this was his friend’s response. Asahi sighed and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. “I’m not saying that this guy isn’t real”, the goateed man started, “All I’m saying is that it’s possible that none of this actually happened. I don’t want you getting your hopes up about seeing him again when it’s _entirely possible_ that it was all a hallucination brought on by the concussion or the painkillers.”

Again, Daichi gaped, as the cogs in his mind gradually began turning, taking in the words that Asahi had just spoken. Speaking slowly, Daichi asked, “So… you… believe me?”. The tall brunette chuffed, then, grinning at his best friend, replied, “Well, let’s just say that I believe you more than anyone else would, and leave it at that.” Daichi returned Asahi’s grin, finally feeling himself able to relax a little bit. “Don’t get me wrong, though”, Asahi said suddenly, “I still think that it’s more likely than anything that all the circumstances around your accident were things you dreamt up while you were in the hospital. But, I guess time will tell, right? And, I mean, in the end, the only thing that really matters is that you survived something that could’ve been a horrible tragedy, so even if it _was_ just a dream or a hallucination, well, at least you’re still here”. The older man nodded gently. After a moment of silence, Daichi quietly sighed, “...I really hope it was real…”. “I know”, Asahi replied in as reassuring a manner as he could.

The room fell silent for a long minute, and it was obvious that Daichi was deep in thought about the possibility that everything he’d experienced since he dropped his phone in the crosswalk that morning was just a dream. Clearing his throat, Asahi awkwardly asked, “So what are you gonna say if he _does_ show up?”. At this, the slightly older man visibly perked up, though he held off for a few seconds before answering, “I dunno. I always thought my answer to that question was ‘Why have we been apart for so long?’, but last night gave me more questions than answers.” “Oh?”, asked Asahi, “What in particular?”. Daichi squinted to try to discern if his best friend was messing with him or not, but from what he saw, Asahi seemed to be completely serious in his query. “...Well, if I’m being honest, it’s mostly the wings.” A strange look crossed over the goateed-man’s face as he muttered, “Ah”.

“Well”, Asahi started after a long, silent minute had passed, “are you at least going to tell him how you feel?”. At this, Daichi raised an eyebrow and repeated, “How I ‘feel’?”. “You know”, shrugged Asahi, his left hand raising to rub the back of his head, “how you _feel”._ “How I _‘feel’?”,_ Daichi repeated once more, “What do you mean, how I _feel?”._

After a pleading look by Asahi (one that clearly said, “Please, _please_ don’t make me have to say any more specifcs”) went wholly unacknowledged by Daichi, the goateed man sighed and shook his head slightly before taking in a deep breath and blurting, “That you love him?”. At this, Daichi physically recoiled.

 _“_ **_Love_ ** _him?!”,_ the dark-haired man exclaimed incredulously. Turning to look his best friend in the eyes, Daichi continued, “Asahi, I’m not _gay.”_ “I didn’t say you were”, the brunette said nervously, his gaze tearing from the intense brown eyes that were locked on him. “Yes, you _did”,_ Daichi asserted. “No”, retorted the younger man, shaking his head seriously, “I _didn’t.”_ Daichi frowned. “You said I’m in love with a guy. Since _I_ am _also_ a guy, if I were in love with a guy, I’d be gay.” “That’s not necessarily true, though”, Asahi frowned, “You could be bisexual. You can also generally be attracted to women and still fall in love with a guy. ...not that I think you're generally attracted to women, either.” If looks could kill, the expression on Daichi's face would've sent Asahi to an early grave. “What do you _mean_ ”, he started, “you don't think I'm 'generally attracted to women’?!” “Daichi”, Asahi deadpanned, “...Come on. Be realistic here. How many women have you dated?”. “Like, three!”, the older man responded indignantly. “Oh?”, asked Asahi, “For how long?”. Daichi frowned and looked to his lap while muttering something inaudible. “Hm? What was that?”, Asahi asked, a small smirk curling up at the corner of his lips. Sending yet another glare to his best friend, Daichi repeated, “One date”. “Ah”, nodded the brunette knowingly, “I see. And did _you_ ask any of _them_ out?”. The dark haired man paused for a moment before wordlessly shaking his head.

Asahi folded his arms and, sighing, fell backwards into the couch. “Sorry. I’m not trying to make you talk about this stuff or anything, and I’m not trying to make you come out before you’re ready. But, if I had to guess… I’d say _you_ don’t even know that you’re in the closet.” He lulled his head so that he was facing Daichi, whose eyes were fixed on the floor in front of him. “You know”, Asahi started, “I knew you were in love with him the first time you ever mentioned him.” At this, Daichi, who’d been silent for much of the last few minutes, sullenly replied, “Oh?”. Asahi nodded. “For starters, he was the first person I think you've ever brought up without them having something to do with what we were talking about. I don't know if you remember the day you told me, but it had nothing to do with anything we'd discussed that day; it was clear he was just on your mind. The other-- and more obvious-- sign was how _happy_ you looked while you were talking about him. That look has never changed. Even now, while I'm trying to tell you not to get your hopes up, it's obvious that you're still really excited about everything.”

The room was silent for a moment before the dark-haired man, with a light flush spread wide across his cheeks, mumbled, “I don't know about all that…”. “Listen”, grinned Asahi, looking over to his best friend of over a decade, “I honestly don't care _what_ this all means. The only thing that matters is that you are happy, and, from the looks of it, you _are_ happy when he's on your mind. Whether you're in love with him or not is none of my business. I'm just… really, _really_ glad that you survived something that really could've been a tragedy.” The goateed man punctuated his small monologue by tousling Daichi's hair. A smile spread across the slightly older man’s face. “Thanks, Asahi. You're a really good friend.” Asahi shrugged, “That's what I'm here for.”

After a moment, Daichi sighed, “I guess I've got some thinking to do.” Asahi smiled gently and said, “Just don't overdo it. I'll be here if you need anything.”

 

As Daichi settled into bed late that evening after hours of deep, heartfelt conversation with his best friend, he found that he couldn’t get his mind off of what had happened the night before. He was admittedly getting a little bit carried away with the hope that Sugawara would do the same thing that he did the night prior, and visit Daichi while he was sleeping. The excitement made it hard for the brown-eyed man to fall asleep, but soon enough he had drifted off to sleep, eager to meet once more with the man he’d missed for so long.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.”  
> – Aristotle
> 
> Dedicating this chapter to my own best friend, who would also question my sanity and/or head injury if I suddenly told him that I was in love with a being of another race previously thought to be fictional. (:


	5. Half-Priced Apps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Asahi have yet another conversation, this time over half-priced appetizers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _From on the bedroom floor..._

Tuesday night found Sawamura Daichi sitting quietly on the sidelines of the volleyball court at the local rec center, his eyes fixed on the ball as it bounced over the net, floated from one team member to another, and was slammed clear across the court. Every now and then he’d call out advice to his teammates, and though his comments were invariably accurate critiques of the plays being made, his mind just could not focus on the actions of the men in front of him. Instead his thoughts were constantly being drawn back to one person: Sugawara.

Daichi had woken up the day after he returned home from the hospital with a heavy heart. There was a piece of him that had expected Sugawara to do the same thing he had done the night before and visit once the dark-haired man had fallen asleep. However, upon waking and discovering that his night had passed without interruption, Daichi couldn't help but be down. He still held out hope, though; Sugawara had _promised_ he'd be back soon. Daichi had to trust the man he felt he'd known for so long.

The dawn of Sunday brought more disappointment with it, but Daichi's faith was unwavering. He _knew_ Sugawara would be back; it was only a matter of time.

By Tuesday, the emotional rollercoaster that was getting his hopes up only to have them dashed the next morning was beginning to take its toll on the young volleyball coach. And though Daichi did his best to keep his composure outwardly, his best friend could tell that something was off.

“Hey, _Coach,_ you wanna go get some drinks after this or something?”, Asahi asked as he threw himself onto the bench beside Daichi, tossing the towel he’d been clutching around his neck to the side. The slightly older man simpered and pointed to the bandage that was still wrapped around his head. “Can’t drink”, Daichi shrugged, “I have to go back for a repeat MRI on Friday to make sure there wasn’t any real damage or whatever.” “Sorry”, the goateed man frowned, “I forgot.”

The two sat in silence and passively watched as the other members of the neighborhood volleyball team began disassembling the nets in order to store them in the utility closet. Once the first half of the net was taken down, Asahi turned back to his friend and asked, “Well-- forget drinks-- do you want to go for half-priced appetizers?”. The dark-haired man grinned mischievously. “All sweaty like this?”, he laughed, “Do you think they’ll even let us _in?”._ Asahi rolled his eyes before shrugging, “You don’t _have_ to hang out with me, you know. I can just go hom--” _“Fine”,_ Daichi dramatically ‘relented’, “Where do you wanna go?”. “I think there’s one of those chain restaurants around the corner, if you’re okay with that”, Asahi remarked, rubbing the back of his head with his towel. At this, Daichi sprung up and grinned, “Well, you’re paying for it, so I’m fine with anything!”. Before Asahi could offer his rebuttal, Daichi took off towards the rest of the team, calling, “Alright, guys, I’ve got some feedback after watching your last match!”.

 

Half an hour later, when the first plate of half-price nachos had just been deposited at their table amidst promises that the server would be _right back_ with the sodas they’d ordered ten minutes prior, Asahi took a deep breath and finally forced himself to be direct with his best friend.

“You haven’t seen him since the hospital, huh?”, he asked in his best attempt at being nonchalant. Daichi, who’d just shoved a very-loaded tortilla chip into his mouth, completely froze up for a second, his heart stopping at the sudden change in conversation. “Uh...”, he started, his voice catching in his throat as he tried his best to say anything at all, “...No”. Daichi suddenly didn’t feel like eating. His stomach was doing somersaults, though it didn’t feel nearly as bad as the pain in his chest, brought on by admitting the hard and painful truth.

After a moment of silence, the dark-haired man sullenly asked, “...was I that obvious?”. Asahi smiled across the table as he picked at an errant clump of lettuce in front of him. “I know you did your best today”, the goateed man started, “But your worry was written all over your face. Although, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who noticed something was bothering you. If anything, everyone else probably shrugged it off as being related to your accident.” “Man”, sighed Daichi as he lay his head in his arms, “I can’t play for another week at least, and now I can’t even _coach?_ I should just resign from the team…”. “Don’t be stupid”, scoffed Asahi as he finally reached out and grabbed a nacho. Moments after his first bite, he suddenly jumped up and frantically searched the table; his eyes then quickly scanned the restaurant. “Where the hell are our drinks?!”, he exclaimed, fanning his mouth as he spoke, “These are _hot!”._ “You big baby”, Daichi laughed, “There’s only like two slices of jalapeno on here!”. Asahi scowled, “Then I just got both of them in one bite!”. The banter between the two lasted a few more minutes before Asahi inhaled sharply once more and blurted out, “So, do you still believe he's real?”. At this, Daichi frowned deeply into his glass of iced tea that had only just arrived. His heart was pounding in his ears.

Azumane Asahi was the _only_ person Daichi had ever told about the mysterious event in his childhood.  At the time, the dark-haired man was reassured by Asahi's reaction, which was notably not notable. Asahi seemed to treat everything Daichi said as fact-- as if the older of the two was simply discussing something mundane that had happened at work earlier that day, when the reality was so strange and unheard of that it wasn't difficult to dismiss it as fantasy. Asahi gave feedback and asked questions, and affirmed that he still believed Daichi to be sane. But now…

Daichi did his best to shake off the encroaching sense of anguish that seemed to be closing in around him. “Yes”, he said firmly, “I _know_ he's real.” Asahi frowned slightly and, after a moment of thought, asked, “Well-- do you believe that you actually met him the other night?”. “Yes, of course”, Daichi repeated resolutely. Noting the question in Asahi's eyes, he added, “Wings and all.”

“Well”, sighed the brunette, “I guess as long as you’re happy, I’m happy. I can only hope that everything you’ve experienced is real, and that it all works out for the best for you. But-- if you ever need to talk or anything… well, I’m here.”

Daichi’s couldn’t help but grin as his heart swelled at this proclamation by his best friend. He knew, of course, that Asahi didn’t _really_ believe in Sugawara-- or at least, not the Sugawara that Daichi had finally gotten to meet nearly a week prior.

_‘Nearly a week...’,_ he thought to himself, frowning as he swirled the straw in his drink. _‘...Nearly a week. He said he’d be back as soon as possible. How is it that he hasn’t found the time in over five days? I know I shouldn’t be expecting too much from someone who I’ve only met twice now, but still, I--’._ “Daichi”, called a voice that pierced the dark-haired man’s now-obsessive thoughts, “You’re doing it again, aren’t you?”. Daichi jumped up and looked at Asahi; he simpered at his best friend’s knowing glance before shrugging, “...sorry. It’s hard _not_ to worry about it. I mean… I literally spend my _entire life_ dreaming about this person, he suddenly shows up and claims to have saved my life, and then just like that, he disappears. I’d have to be crazy to ignore your concerns, and I’d have to be either extremely dumb or completely blind to have not thought of them myself. But at the same time…”.

Daichi sighed and propped his head up on his hand. “At the same time”, he repeated in an effort to compel himself to finish his thought, “I _have_ to have faith in him. I feel like, at this point in my life, so much of what I think and how I feel is because he’s at the base of my psyche. I’ve spent so many years thinking about him, and have spent so much time getting to know him in my dreams, that he’s almost become a core piece of my personality. To think that this might all be a hallucination… is devastating. I don’t know that I can live in a world where he doesn’t exist.”

At this, Asahi snorted, though he quickly issued an apologetic glance to his best friend before grinning, “And you say you’re _not_ in love with him?”. “Nobody asked you”, Daichi muttered out of the corner of his mouth, a scowl so prominent on his face that the brunette couldn’t help but laugh even harder. “Sorry-- sorry!”, Asahi eventually choked out as he tried to restrain the fit of giggles that had taken over him, “I didn’t mean to hit a nerve there!”. This only made the slightly older man scowl even harder. “Yeah, yeah”, he grumbled, “...this is the price I pay for letting you treat me to food.” “Treat?!”, Asahi gasped in surprise, “I thought you were kidding about that!”.

 

Daichi had a lot to think about as he entered his home late that evening. He was tired, and it wasn't because of all that he'd done that day; no, he was tired-- downright _exhausted_ \-- from the stress of worrying and waiting day in and day out without reprieve. He was tired of wondering where Sugawara could possibly be, and he was tired of questioning his sanity.

_'But’,_ he would always start to reason when his faith began to dim, _'If Sugawara didn't push me out of the way, why didn't the bus hit me? And how did I get my phone back if he wasn't the one to return it to me?’._

Thoughts like this were gnawing at his brain, making him wonder if he had so much as a single shred of sanity remaining as he ascended the staircase to his bedroom. He had so many questions and so few answers that he felt as if his head might explode at any moment.

And perhaps it was the maelstrom of confused and frustrated thoughts that were flooding Daichi's consciousness and overall thoroughly distracting him, or perhaps it was simply that Sawamura Daichi was a creature of habit and never expected any deviation from the way he'd lived his life since he first moved out of his parents house, or maybe it was even just how tired Daichi was that prevented him from noticing that he was not alone in his bedroom. That is, until a voice called out from where it's owner was half-seated against one of Daichi's bedroom window sills, playfully asking, “What took you so long?”.


	6. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Sugawara have a long-overdue discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...I watch you sailing far above the seashore._

Sawamura Daichi stood in the doorway to his bedroom gaping. His mouth kept opening and shutting again, as if his body knew that he should be saying something but his mind was completely incapable of discerning _what_.

The newcomer slowly, carefully, dismounted from the windowsill he was perched on and sauntered over to the stunned man. “I promised I’d be back”, he grinned at Daichi, who only just stood slightly taller than him. “S- Sugawara?”, Daichi choked out. “Yes”, the ash-blond giggled in response. Again Daichi gaped, unable to truly comprehend the situation before him. “D- Do…”, he started nervously, “...do you want to come in?”. _“In?”,_ Sugawara repeated, “Daichi, if I’m not mistaken, I already _am_ ‘in’.” Daichi smiled weakly in embarrassment. “I, uh… I meant more like, going to go sit down or something”, he admitted. The ash-blonde grinned, “Oh! In that case, sure!”. “Uh…”, Daichi started nervously, glancing behind him, “I guess the living room would be best, right?”. “Living room?!”, asked Sugawara with an eagerness that Daichi couldn’t quite place, “Yes! Let’s go to the living room!”. The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow then turned around. “Follow me”, he called over his shoulder, before leading the blond out of his bedroom, down the hall, and downstairs, while Sugawara quietly ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed along the way.

After showing his companion to the couch, Daichi seated himself beside Sugawara only to spring back up to his feet almost immediately. “S- sorry!”, he exclaimed, “I wasn’t really expecting to entertain tonight! Can I get you anything?”. “... _’Anything’_ ?”, Sugawara repeated, a note of confusion in his voice. “Uh-- yeah…”, started Daichi, unsure of how much more specific he needed to get, “Like, water or a glass of wine or anything?”. Sugawara grinned broadly before shaking his head. “No, I’m fine, thank you”, he smiled, “Please, sit down. Let’s talk. I don’t have much time, but--” “Don’t have much time?”, Daichi repeated, cocking his head slightly, “What do you mean, you ‘don’t have much time’?”. After pausing in thought for a moment, the dark-haired man added, _“_ I mean, you said that the last time I saw you, too!”. Sugawara smiled softly and shrugged, “It was just as true then as it is now.” “Can you not _make_ time to see me?”, Daichi urged, a tightness growing in his chest. “It’s not that simple, Daichi”, the blond sighed. “Well, why not?”, the young man replied curtly, feeling himself begin to get heated, though he wasn’t quite sure why, “In my experience, things are only as complicated as you make them.” “In _your_ experience”,  Sugawara repeated sternly, “ _However,_ I am _quite_ certain that our experiences in life have been vastly different.” “How can you be so sure?”, Daichi all but pouted.

Sugawara breathed in slowly and deeply, taking the time to let all the air out through his nose before responding. When he looked back to Daichi, his eyes, which had begun to betray a slight irritation, gazed upon him softly once more. “I was hoping we could spend a little bit more time just being _together_ before I had to explain everything...” “ _‘Explain everything’_?”, Daichi repeated, reminding the blond of how he seemed to be completely incapable of thinking up anything to say besides Sugawara’s own words. To be honest, it was quite endearing. Suga stretched a little bit before leaning back into the couch.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed some differences between you and I”. “A few”, Daichi laughed in agreement. Suga glanced back to the dark-haired man before smiling, “I don’t think this will come as a tremendous surprise to you, but I’m not a human.” At this, the dark-haired man did a double take. “You’re-- _what?’”,_ he stammered, his eyes wide open as he tried to interpret what, exactly, Sugawara had just said. “Heh, maybe I was wrong”, the blond mumbled to himself.

“Yes, you heard correctly. I just said that I’m not human. I am of a race of beings called Seraphs-- air elementals.” _“‘Air elementals’_ ?”, Daichi repeated, looking almost as if he were starting to feel offended by whatever practical joke the man before him was playing. Looking blankly at the other man on the couch, Sugawara sighed, “You’re going to have to stop repeating me like that. ...but yes. I’m sure it sounds a bit odd to you, given how little humans know about this Earth that we share.” “You mean…”, Daichi started slowly, his eyes searching the carpet for answers, “...that there are _more_ of you?”. Sugawara cocked his head slightly. “In the same way that there are ‘more’ of _you,_ sure”, he shrugged.

Daichi took a moment to digest this information, nodding to himself in silence until he turned back to the blond beside him and asked, “What do you mean, ‘air elemental’?”. Sugawara cupped his chin in thought for a moment before replying, “Well, you know how there are the elements that make up this planet, right? Fire, air, water, earth, etcetera?”. Daichi nodded. “The story goes that the earth was crafted by these elements, and whatever extra there was was used to create so-called intelligent life. We seraphs were imbued with the element of air. As such, we live amongst the clouds.” “Among the clouds…?”, Daichi repeated, clear confusion in his voice. Part of him still majorly felt as if he was in the middle of some sort of elaborate and cruel prank. Trying his best to go along with it, the dark-haired man asked, “Does that mean that we humans are the earth elementals-- or whatever you'd call them-- since we live down here on Earth?”. “Pfff”, Sugawara chuffed, doing his best not to outright laugh at Daichi, “No, silly! The centaurs are the earth elementals!”. “Centaurs…?”, Daichi repeated, his head spinning, “Suga… Look, I'm sorry. I'm doing my best to go along with all of this, but you can't _really_ expect me to believe in _centaurs.”_ The blond cocked his head in confusion. “Why wouldn't you believe in them?”, he asked, a frown creeping across his lips. Daichi blinked twice before slowly responding, “Centaurs aren't _real._ They're characters out of fairytales! Next you're gonna tell me that mermaids and dragons and unicorns are real!”. The look on Sugawara’s face betrayed his next words before he uttered them. “Daichi… mer _people are_ real. Dragons are as well, but I doubt you’d ever get the chance to meet one, even if you _weren’t_ human. Unicorns, however, went extinct over a thousand years ago.”

“I’m sorry”, Daichi sighed before pushing up from his couch, “I guess you and I had totally different reasons for wanting to speak to one another. I’m not really sure what I did for you to want to insult my intelligence like this, but, whatever it is, I’m sorry.” The dark haired man began retreating from his living room without allowing the time for Sugawara to say so much as a syllable.  

“Daichi”, the blond called out, rising from the couch himself, “I’m not _trying_ to insult you. I know this probably all sounds crazy, but, unfortunately, humankind _chose_ to keep out of interelemental politics. They _chose_ to keep the majority of their population in the dark about the other beings that they share this planet with!”. At this, Daichi stopped walking, though he did not yet dare face Sugawara. Seeing this as progress, the blond pressed on, “Even if you _don’t_ believe that such things as centaurs and merpeople and probably even seraphs exist, that doesn’t change the fact that they do! I mean, you say that these are all featured in human fairytales. What do you think the inspiration for these fairytales _was_?! From my understanding, nearly every human culture has had depictions of dragons, for example. If, thousands and thousands of years ago, peoples who couldn’t manage to communicate with each other across great distances all felt it was necessary to record their experiences with dragons, don’t you think it’s a little bit more than a coincidence….?”

“No”, Daichi said quietly, “I _don’t.”_ Sugawara stepped closer to the dark-haired man, frustration building at how stubborn he was suddenly being. “I cannot speak for any of the other intelligent life on this planet, but I can at _least_ prove to you that seraphs exist.” “How could you possibly--”, Daichi started, finally rounding on his company. He was unable to continue speaking, though, as his jaw had fallen open. Before him stood the man he recognized to be Sugawara, with a broad pair of iridescent silver wings protruding from where his shoulder blades should be, magnificently splayed out in his living room. His wingspan had to be _at least_ equal to his height, Daichi noted, as he slowly stepped back towards Suga.

“You can touch them”, Sugawara said softly, his left wing twitching in agreement, “They’re real.” Daichi, still awestruck, stepped even closer to Suga. Slowly, shakily, he raised a hand and moved it towards the blond. However, he was surprised to find himself incapable of moving his arm past a certain point; he was frozen in anxiety and wonder, and simply couldn’t shake himself out of it. After a long moment, a feeling of comfort and warmth overtook Daichi, as Suga gently placed his fingers around the dark-haired man’s wrist and pulled it closer, until his fingertips grazed Sugawara’s primary covert feathers, sending a shudder up the blond’s spine. “Sorry”, he giggled breathily, “Our wings are… sensitive.” Hearing this, Daichi withdrew his hand, though he soon found himself reaching out and stroking Sugawara’s plumage once more. Again the blond shuddered, and Daichi quickly found himself becoming inexplicably aroused, though he couldn’t even begin to guess _why._

“Hopefully”, Sugawara breathed as Daichi stroked him once more, “You believe that I’m real at this point?”. _“...Yeah”,_ Daichi replied in an equally breathy voice. He could feel that his face was flushed, and for some reason his heartbeat was so strong that he could feel it all throughout his body. “Great”, Sugawara grinned, and, in an instant, his wings disappeared, right from under Daichi’s grasp. It was as if the human had been splashed with a bucket of cold water; the moment his contact with Sugawara ended, his thoughts became unclouded, and he once more was full of questions.

“H- how did you do that?”, Daichi found himself stammering. Sugawara smiled gently. “How did I do what-- retract my wings? ...I'm not really sure how to explain it without giving you an entire biology lesson... basically they can fold into my back when I am not actively using them. It's not really a conscious thing-- kind of like how your tongue naturally sits in your mouth unless you need to stick it out, y'know?”. The blank look that he was met with assured him that, no, Daichi did _not_ know. In fact, the dark-haired man appeared to be short circuiting.

“I… I need to sit down”, Daichi muttered quietly before staggering back to the couch. Sugawara followed suit, seating himself close to the struggling man. After a few minutes of listening to Daichi's incoherent mumbles, the blond reached over and gently put his hand on Daichi's knee. “I'm sure this is all a lot to take in”, he started, “and I'm sorry that our time together had to--” “Wait”, Daichi interrupted, the glazed look snapping from his eyes, “If we supposedly share the world with all these different types of-- of--”. Seeing the potentially offensive word 'things’ hovering on the dark-haired man's lips, Sugawara quickly blurted out, “intelligent life?”. Daichi paused for a moment before nodding, “Yeah-- intelligent life. If we're supposed to coexist with all this other intelligent life, why hasn't anyone _seen_ any of them?”. “People _have_ seen centaurs, merpeople, and even seraphs. That's how they got into your lore in the first place”, Suga replied, the slightest hint of a bemused smile hiding in the corners of his lips. With a scowl, Daichi asked, “Then why haven't I ever _heard of them?_ Why don't they teach us about other intelligent races?”. “Ah”, smiled Sugawara, withdrawing his hand and sitting back on the couch, “Now _this_ is something I can answer.”

“The story basically goes that, a thousand years ago, all the beings on this earth lived and worked together, until one day, a human decided that mankind should rule the planet. He covertly gathered an army and arranged a surprise attack on the centaurs, who they felt would be the greatest threat to their cause. Across the world, nearly three quarters of the centaur population was slaughtered. It still stands as the greatest genocide of all time, and the centaurs still have not fully recovered their numbers.”

“Now, this massacre happened _literally_ overnight. Once the seraphs noticed what was going on, they joined forces with the remaining centaurs and forced the humans to surrender shortly thereafter. After this, all of the intelligent life forms-- all of the _elementals--_ held a summit where mankind agreed to sever all but the most necessary ties with the other elementals and spend the rest of their days in isolation. All mention of other elementals was stricken from recorded history for humans. It wasn't long before the true knowledge was perceived as mere fantasy by man, just as those who handed down the punishment intended.”

Daichi sat in attentive silence as Sugawara gave his impromptu history lesson, though the silence continued for over a minute after the blonde finished speaking as he absorbed all the new knowledge he'd just been handed. Sugawara was patient as he watched the dark-haired man digest all he'd just been told, until, finally, Daichi choked out, “...wait. That still doesn't _really_ answer my question. You're saying that we share the planet with seraphs and centaurs and mermaids--” “Mer _people_ ”, corrected Sugawara. “... _sure”,_ nodded Daichi, “Well, why haven't there been any reports of encounters with these other… _elementals?”._ Suga smiled gently. “Well, I would have to imagine that a significant number of encounters has occurred over the last millenia or so, but since they are only known as myths, the people who have had these encounters are easily dismissed by the general human population.” “But-- I mean-- like, take merpeople”, Daichi argued, “I would assume they live underwater?”. A nod from the blond prompted him to continue, “Humans have explored this planet _thoroughly._ We have cameras that can go thousands of feet underwater. We have submarines and scuba divers. And you're trying to tell me that not a _single person_ has gotten any sort of evidence that merpeople exist?”. “Nope”, grinned Sugawara, “Humans are only allowed to venture so far into the ocean. There are distinct territories that mankind is permitted to enter, and everything outside of that is merpeople territory.” “But people don't always follow rules…”, protested the young accountant. “That's true”, nodded Suga, “But there are certain barriers that humans can't cross, regardless of whether they care about the law or not.” Daichi opened his mouth to protest, only to decide that the conversation had gotten so far derailed that the minor details didn't really matter.

He thought back in an effort to try to remember where their conversation had actually started. _'We were just talking about why humanity doesn't know that other beings supposedly exist’,_ he mused to himself, _'And we got on that topic because Suga started telling me about the other intelligent life. We got on_ **_that_ ** _topic because…’._ The dark haired man struggled with this for a moment before realizing, _‘... because he said that seraphs are air elementals. Which started because he started talking about how different we are, as an answer to--’._

“You never explained why you keep saying you can’t stay long”, Daichi said abruptly, a deep frown crossing his face. In response, Sugawara smiled softly and gingerly placed his hand on the human’s knee once more. “You’re right”, he sighed, “That _is_ the question you asked.” The ash-blond retracted his hand and shifted his weight so that, once again, he was facing Daichi.

“Just in the same way that humans were forbidden from interacting with other elementals, the other elementals were forbidden from so much as being _seen_ by the humans-- let alone contacting them, excepting under very specific circumstances. But… well…”. Sugawara paused, his ivory skin suddenly stained with a deep blush. It seemed to take him a moment to gather his thoughts, but soon he continued, “...I was really curious about humans, from the first moment I learned of their existence. My father is well connected in our province’s government, and so, for my sixth birthday, he was able to obtain five-day visas to the lands. We had to sit through two days worth of training before we were able to descend, but it was all worth it for me; I’d never been more excited for anything in my life. My parents took me around and showed me different types of earth and different types of human architecture, and I was just utterly infatuated. We had to wear pendants that suppressed our chi circuits--” “'Chi circuits’?”, Daichi interrupted. The blond nodded, “All life on Earth has chi circuits. It's the energy that feeds our spirits, and in seraphs, it's that which allows us to use our wings and certain abilities.” He paused for a moment just in case Daichi had any further questions, but when none came, he continued, “So, like I was saying, we had to wear these pendants that suppressed our chi circuits, allowing our wings to be permanently retracted with no additional strain on our bodies. We would explore the land from dusk to dawn, in an effort to best obscure all of the little differences between us and humans from anyone who might be particularly perceptive. During the day we would sleep in a hotel room that had been provided for us.”

“I understood why we had to keep our identities hidden. I understood why we needed to stay tucked away during the day-- why we couldn’t even give mankind the opportunity to find us out. But still… the night time wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to see everything there was to see, and knew that it would be a very long time before I’d be able to come back. So, during the day, while my parents slept in their room at the hotel, I would sneak out and explore on my own. Or at least, that was the plan, until I met _you.”_

“Me?”, Daichi asked, clearly surprised by the sudden twist in the story. The ash-blond nodded. “I was already fascinated with humans as it was, and, though I had interacted with a handful of them at that point, between the hotel staff and people on the street and stuff, when I saw you, I just sortof felt like I _had_ to talk to you. Up until you and I ran into each other on the beach, I’d been doing my best to stay hidden as much as possible. For the six or so months leading up to my trip, I practiced using invisibility day in and day out. It wasn’t perfect, and I could only stay invisible for maybe thirty seconds at a time, but it helped me to remain undetected for the most part during the days that I snuck out. But, for some reason, when I saw you playing on the shore, I forgot _everything--_ every class I had to sit through about going down to the land, everything my parents told me, every warning I’d been given about how bad humans are-- and just wanted to talk to you. And, well, it wasn’t long before I’d _completely_ forgotten that we were two different beings. I had a lot of fun with you, so to the point where I absolutely _dreaded_ sunset, when I’d have to return to the hotel.”

“To make a long story short”, Sugawara smiled softly, rubbing the back of his head, “My parents found out that I’d been sneaking out and tried to take me back to Sonis-- the city we’re from-- but, since I was desperate and was therefore willing to use my wings, while they were strictly bound to the law, I was able to get away and see you on your last day visiting the beach. Once you left, I went back to my parents, and, truthfully, was disciplined rather harshly, both by them and the government. I was banned from ever leaving our continent again, and was put under close government surveillance for many years. I had initially wanted to study interelemental anthropology when I was younger, with the goal of becoming a diplomat between elementals, but that dream was soon quashed and I was told to pursue something else. So, after many nights spent agonizing over what I could do to be able to see you again, I became… a parcel carrier.”

Daichi had been silent as he attentively listened to Sugawara’s rollercoaster of a story. His heart was pounding as the blond took him through all of the ups and downs that were involved in their seemingly fated meeting-- and all of the intentional meetings afterwards. But, once Sugawara explained the profession he’d chosen, Daichi couldn’t help but feel like it was… a little bit anticlimactic. “A… parcel carrier?”, the dark-haired man repeated, certain that he couldn’t possibly have heard his companion correctly.

“Yep!”, nodded Sugawara proudly. “But…”, started the human, “...how would being a parcel carrier help you to see me?”. The blond grinned and shifted himself once more on Daichi’s couch, pulling his knees to him. “Well, like I said, I was kept under surveillance for a long time after we got back. I had to spend a lot of time trying to convince what amounted to pretty much everyone in my life that I was no longer fascinated with humans, which was no easy feat. It's a lot easier to show disdain for something than it is to show total indifference, but I felt like it would be way too obvious if I suddenly switched from loving mankind to loathing them. Even as early as my disciplinary hearing, I did my best to seem disillusioned with mankind. I pretended not to pay attention in our world history classes, and maintained B-level grades so I wouldn't appear to be overly interested. When the time came to choose careers, I made it so my parents came up with the idea of being a parcel carrier on their own. The reality was that I'd spent years upon years researching what career would reasonably give me enough freedom to sneak away regularly to check up on you, while being under the guise of being a regular day of work.”

“But…”, Daichi started, his voice small as he tried to work out a polite wording for his question, “... _why?”._ “Why?”, Sugawara repeated, giggling slightly at the irony of him repeating Daichi's words after so much time spent in the opposite role. “Yeah”, nodded the dark-haired man, “I mean, I get that you've always been curious about humans, but… why me? Why did you spend all of your life planning out ways to come see… _me?”._

Sugawara smiled softly and cautiously placed his hand inside of Daichi's. “Why?”, he repeated again, his voice lilting with the slightest hint of a giggle, “I guess you could say that everything I've done so far is because… well, because I love you, Daichi.”

The dark-haired man sat stunned for a long minute. His ears buzzed and cheeks burned as the only thought he could bring himself to think was, _'Is this real? Did I really just hear what I think I heard?’._

Sugawara tried to let his human companion process the words he'd just said, but a glance out the window reminded the blond that he didn't have much time left.

“I'm sorry this is so sudden”, he blushed, squeezing Daichi's hand gently as he spoke, “Admittedly, I would've preferred to have paced everything a little more evenly, rather than overwhelming you with the truths of our world _in addition_ to the truths of my feelings, but, when faced with the power and beauty of human curiosity, I _couldn't_ bring myself to shrug off your questions or give you half-answers. On the bright side, this _does_ mean tha--” “How do you know?”, Daichi interrupted so suddenly that Sugawara's failed to close his mouth, his jaw, instead, hanging open in surprise. “How do I… _know?”,_ the blond repeated in confusion. “Yes”, nodded Daichi solemnly, his chestnut eyes boring into Sugawara's own, “How do you know that you love me?”.

At this, Sugawara retracted his hand and squirmed uncomfortably on the couch. “How do I…”, he mumbled to himself, his eyes searching the floor as his mind raced. Eventually he had to look up at his companion and, with a weak grin, admitted, “This wasn't one of the questions I'd prepared for”.

He sat for a moment, humming one note in a breathy voice, his legs kicking out nervously as his mind churned. “How do I know…”, he repeated again before turning towards Daichi, “I mean, how does one _ever_ know that they love someone else? I can feel it in my heart, in my soul, in everything that I am. I've had the privilege of watching you in the most candid of moments-- the way you glance at your reflection when you're on your way into work and often gently tousle your hair; the way you stop to pet any stray animals you meet on your runs; the way your friends look up to you when you're playing your ball game. These are just a few of the thousands of things I love about you. ...I'm also… uh…”.

Sugawara glanced down, breaking the almost hypnotizing hold he had on Daichi, who hadn't so much as blinked once the blond began speaking. It was only once they broke eye contact that the dark-haired man noticed his companion's pallor: all of Sugawara's visible skin above his neckline was flushed a nice, rosy pink. Daichi giggled to himself, and as he reflected on how cute Sugawara was, stumbling over words he couldn't seem to get out, a realization hit Daichi like a train.

 _'Asahi was right’,_ he thought to himself, the smile dropping from the corner of his lips, _'I definitely have feelings for him.’_ Daichi's mind wandered back to the conversation he'd had with the tall brunette the day after he'd last seen Sugawara. _'I knew you were in love with him the first time you ever mentioned him’,_ Asahi repeated in Daichi's head, _'You always seem so_ **_happy_ ** _when he's on your mind.’_ At the time, of course, the young accountant had dismissed his best friend's theory, but now, as he sat next to Sugawara, the blonde's hand in his own, his heart absolutely pounding inside his chest, he couldn't help but think that maybe Asahi was onto something after all.

“I have reason to believe”, Sugawara finally stammered out, reminding Daichi that the silence in which he'd used to contemplate Asahi's words was not an empty one, “that you and I are-- are soulmates.” After a moment's pause, Daichi repeated, “'Soulmates’?”. There was a piece of him that wanted to protest-- to say that there was no such thing as soulmates, that it was a logical impossibility-- but after all the other strange things he'd been told over the last few hours, he just couldn't bring himself to argue over something so small that it could be considered nitpicking at this point. Sugawara nodded before slowly lulling his head. “Although”, he frowned, “I can't say that I've ever heard of interelemental soulmates before…”. “By soulmates, I'm assuming you mean, like, people who are meant to be together?”, Daichi asked, the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice. Sugawara smiled sweetly and shrugged. “Yes and no”, the blonde replied, “I think I have a fair enough grasp of what humans believe ‘soul mates’ to be, and while they aren’t _wrong,_ they aren’t right either.”

“For humans, the idea of a ‘soulmate’ seems fantastical, and is often dismissed as being a romanticism of modern day relationships. However… there is far more truth to this notion of ‘soulmates’.” “Oh boy”, groaned Daichi, laying his head on the back of the couch. Sugawara stopped and smiled wanly. “...I’ll stop my lessons on the world for tonight. That one isn’t really that important, and I’d hate to leave thinking that I’ve overwhelmed you.” “Wait-- _leave?!”,_ the dark-haired man practically gasped. Sugawara nodded solemnly, then, glancing to the window once more, sighed, “I’m still under surveillance, although it is to a significantly lesser degree than it used to be. I currently live with three roommates, all of whom have some connection to the government, which, as I’m sure you can imagine, is no coincidence. The only reason I’m out so late is because I’ve convinced them that I was going to spend the night at my parents’ place. But, if I don’t show up for work in the morning, someone may start to overthink things…”. “But the morning is still so far away!”, Daichi heard himself pleading.

Sugawara leaned over and took Daichi’s right hand in both of his. “I _will_ be back, Daichi, I _promise.”_ “Yeah”, sulked the dark-haired man, finding his heart inexplicably heavy as he continued, “You said that last time, too.” “And here I am!”, urged Sugawara, desperate to keep the man that he loved-- the _human_ that he loved-- from despairing. “I promised you then that I would come back as soon as I possibly could. And, while I’m sure it felt like a lifetime, realistically, a week isn’t all that long.” “But I--”, started Daichi, only to cut himself off. _‘No’,_ he thought to himself, _‘I sound like a petulant_ **_child._ ** _At the end of the day, whether he actually does love me or not, Sugawara owes me nothing. I’m being selfish-- greedy, for time that doesn’t even belong to me.’_ He raised his gaze from where it had been focused in his lap up to the blond’s eyes, and was surprised to find that they were full of tears. A molten heat upon his cheek mere moments later informed him that he was also-- seemingly inexplicably-- crying. Sugawara withdrew one of his hands and wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm. Forcing a smile, he said, “Next time I can explain a few more things to you, and we can check to see if I’m right about--”. Blush took over his cheeks once more, though he forced himself through it, continuing, “--if I’m right about us being soulmates!”.

“For now, though…”, Sugawara said solemnly, retracting his hands as he moved to stand, “...dawn is fast approaching.” Daichi looked over to the window, where he found that the deep black of the night’s sky was slowly fading into purple. With a heavy heart, the dark-haired man replied, “I’ll walk you out.”

Following Sugawara’s lead, the two men returned to Daichi’s second-floor bedroom, where Sugawara strode over to the window that he’d entered through. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back to Daichi, before allowing his wings to unfold once more.

“Well”, he said, forcing a laugh as he stood perched on Daichi’s bedroom windowsill, “I’ll see you around. ...keep your eyes open and see if you can see me too!”. Daichi smiled softly, “I always do.” With one more sad smile, Sugawara pushed off, taking flight into the ever-fading darkness. He finally allowed himself to cry; he never was terribly good at saying goodbye, and knew that _this_ goodbye, of all goodbyes, would be the most difficult.

“Sugawara!”, came a sudden yell from behind him, ripping him out of his thoughts. He quickly spun around mid-air and saw the dark-haired man leaning out his window. “Dai--”, he started quietly, only to be interrupted by Daichi’s enthusiastic shout of, “I love you!”. He was sure that Daichi couldn’t see his face very well from how far apart they were, but, nonetheless, Suga was embarrassed by how hot he felt his face grow underneath the tears. “I-- I love you too!”, he beamed, before turning around and continuing his journey back to the sky.

Under his breath, he whispered, “I really, really do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fkljhsdfkljshdf SORRY THAT TOOK SO LONG.  
> I really hate doing exposition-type chapters, but since this fic is based on the world that I'm building, stuff like this is kind of necessary sometimes. I know it's slow now, but please bear with me, as things will definitely start to pick up soon :)


	7. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asahi and Daichi go for a jog, where Daichi describes his previous night to his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _In deep Atlantic skies..._

“I mean, Daichi, I was teasing you”, groaned Asahi, a deep frown plastered across his discontented face, the wind whipping his long, chestnut-colored hair back as he and Daichi jogged through the park late that Wednesday evening. “I meant like, you had a  _ crush  _ on this person. I didn't mean that you were actually in  _ love _ with him, because you  **can't** be in love with someone you don't know!”. Daichi returned the frown to the man keeping pace to his right. “So you don't believe me, then, when I tell you that I've met Sugawara in every dream I've had since I was five”, he replied, the weight of his steps vibrating in his voice as he spoke. At this, Asahi sputtered, “I-- I mean-- It's not like that-- it’s just--”. He snorted out of his nose much like an enraged bull would and shook his head. “Daichi, It's not that I  _ don't  _ believe you”, he started, “It's just… Dreams aren't  _ real.  _ So no matter how much time you may or may not have spent with him in your sleep, it still is only the man that you've created in your own mind. Ultimately, you still know next to nothing about this person.” “So you  **don't** believe me, then”, the dark-haired man reiterated. Asahi groaned and tossed his head back for a moment. “That's  _ not  _ what I'm saying!”. “It is, though”, Daichi said solemnly, slowing from a fast  jog to a quick walk in order to be able to actually look at his friend as he spoke, “Because I have told you time and time again that these aren't dreams but, rather, visitations within my dreams.”  _ “Daichi”,  _ the goateed man urged, “That's not a thing!”. “Maybe not for humans”, Daichi argued, “But, as I've already said, Sugawara  _ isn't  _ a human.” “Do you realize how you  _ sound?!”,  _ Asahi exclaimed exasperatedly.

The taller man stretched his arms above his head for a moment before frowning, “When was it that you said you're supposed to go back to the doctor?”. Daichi smirked and raised an eyebrow; he knew where this was going. “I’m supposed to go back to get a repeat MRI on Friday”, the dark-haired man shrugged. “Look, man”, Asahi started, his frown seeming to deepen with each word he spoke, “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but do you think you can call your doctor and see if they can move your appointment up at all or anything?”. “Sure”, laughed Daichi congenially, fishing in his pants pockets as he asked, “Why do you ask?”. 

“Well”, the goateed man frowned, “It’s just… I don’t know, it's not that I don't believe you about everything or that I think you're insane or anything; the timing on all of this is just too coincidental for me to be able to take what you're saying at face value without worrying that it's a side effect of, I don't know, bleeding in your brain or something like that.” “I get it”, Daichi nodded as he raised his cell phone to his ear, “And I'd honestly probably feel the same way if our roles were revers--  _ Hi, this is Sawamura Daichi,  _ I'm one of Doctor Shimada's patients-- I was in an accident last week. I have an appointment on Friday, but I was wondering if there's any way that I could possibly move it up? … … … No, nothing like that, a friend of mine is just worried that some of my behaviors are unusual. … … … Yes, I'll hold.“ Whispering to Asahi he said, “They're asking the doctor.” The two stood in silence for a few more moments before the goateed man saw a strange series of emotions cross Daichi’s face before he quietly replied, “Uh, sure-- I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Looking up at Asahi, Daichi frowned, “They want me to go to the hospital right away.”

 

The pair wasted no time in doubling back on their jogging trail, and soon Asahi found himself sitting alone in a hospital exam room waiting for Daichi to return from wherever the hospital staff had whisked the dark-haired man off to. He played mindlessly with his phone for a bit, then spent some time gazing absently around the room; neither of these activities did anything to ease his mounting anxiety. He just-- he  _ had  _ to say something. As much as he loved his best friend and wanted to be there for him, he couldn’t have lived with himself if something were truly wrong and he’d ignored such obvious and blaring signs. 

The brunette practically jumped out of his skin when, after nearly an hour spent alone, the door to the exam room suddenly slid open.

“Mr. Azumane? I’m Dr. Shimada. Mr. Sawamura has given me permission to come speak with you while he’s in for further testing.” A smartly dressed, middle-aged man wearing a lab coat stepped into the exam room; Asahi rose and shook the stranger’s hand before taking his seat once more. “So, Mr. Sawamura expressed that you had some…  _ concerns,  _ which is what brought you two in today?”. “Uh… yeah”, nodded Asahi affirmatively, unsure of how he was going to go about explaining his worries to the doctor without betraying Daichi’s trust.

“Um…”, Asahi started nervously, “Well… This is just, uh, a little tough. Daichi is a really private person, and he basically made me swear I would never tell anyone about-- well-- some of the things that I'm concerned about.” “You understand”, glowered the doctor over the rim of his glasses, “that withholding this information could compromise your friend's health, right? I mean, if it's serious enough, this 'secret’ you're clinging to could even cost your friend his  _ life.”  _ After a brief pause, Asahi nodded solemnly, “...I'm pretty sure, given the choice, that's what Daichi would choose.” 

“Mr. Azumane”, started Dr. Shimada, removing his glasses and leveling his gaze with the goateed man, “Why did you encourage Mr. Sawamura to move his appointment up if you had no intention of being forthcoming about your concerns?”. A slight grimace crossed over Asahi's face at the directness of this confrontation but, after a moment of gathering his thoughts, he replied, “It's not that I have no intention of being forthcoming. It's just that I didn't expect it to be so  _ difficult.  _ I  _ know  _ that this is extremely important, but I just can't bring myself to break Daichi's trust like that after all he’s done for me. ...but, I think that I can give you a close enough analogy to work off of, if that's okay.” “Sure”, Doctor Shimada sighed, “Let's give that a shot.”

“Okay”, started Asahi with renewed enthusiasm, “Let’s pretend that Daichi believes in ghosts, right?”. He looked up at the doctor for confirmation; the doctor looked back at him quizzically and replied, “...sure.” “So let’s say that Daichi has always believed in ghosts, and this is something I’ve always known about him. But it was something he almost never talked about before, and now, since his accident, he’s been telling me all about how he  _ sees  _ ghosts and is even having conversations with one.” The doctor nodded in cold, feigned sympathy before making some notes on his chart, clicking the pen closed, and shutting the file before looking up and proffering a polite smile. 

“Mr. Azumane”, the doctor said in as gentle a voice as a man of his professional status could muster, “I definitely understand why something like that could be alarming, especially from someone who seemed relatively-- for lack of better word-- ‘normal’ before all of this. Now, I obviously don’t know what the real issue is, but I can’t imagine that it’s too far off from the hypothetical one you’ve offered me, so I will tell you that I am not terribly concerned. It definitely makes sense for him to be getting further testing done, but so far everything looks fine, and his initial scans all looked almost miraculous, considering how close he came to being run over by that commuter bus. So I’m going to offer you a less medically-based answer in favor of something based a little more reasonably in psychology: in times of great stress, Mr. Azumane-- in times of sickness, or in times when we are confronted head on with our own mortality-- it is not uncommon for humans to cling to anything that makes their lives make some sort of  _ sense.  _ For some people, for example, near death experiences lead them to religion. For others, it can lead them away from the very same. Perhaps Mr. Sawamura finds comfort in ghosts-- or sasquatch, or aliens, or whatever his particular case may be. But unless his interest becomes an obsession that is detrimental to his life, where he’s missing work or failing to do the basic things that one needs to do to function such as eating or sleeping, I think this may just be his way of coping with the things he’s experienced. Provided that the rest of Mr. Sawamura’s testing comes back clear, I could recommend that he sees a therapist to try to help him come to terms with the recent goings on in his life, but even that would just be a recommendation. At the end of the day, this may just be a new side of Mr. Sawamura that we have to accept as his way of coping with trauma.”

The doctor stood and looked at the goateed man expectantly. “I understand”, Asahi finally said. The doctor again smiled politely. “Mr. Sawamura should be back in in just a few minutes”, he said in a manner that Asahi imagine was supposed to sound reassuring, before excusing himself from the room.

Asahi stood and crossed the room, where he gazed out the large, fifth floor picture window. “Great”, Asahi sighed aloud to himself, eyes skimming the vast cityscape before him, “I guess this is just how things are now, huh?”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~no i didn't post this the other day and then delete it what ever are you talking about~~  
>  okay, so I definitely did post this chapter the other day, but then I deleted it because I hated it, took some time and rewrote some parts, and here we are!  
> The next chapter's over halfway done, because it was originally part of this chapter. But I like them separate, so here we are. It'll be up soon.


	8. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an exhausting day, Asahi has an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...You float as I look aft to watch the moon rise._

Azumane Asahi had had a rather busy day.

The first half of his Wednesday had been reasonably normal. He’d gone to work as he did every other week day, did his job, had a mediocre lunch, did his job for a few more hours, and went home. The problem started when he decided to check in on Daichi, whose seemingly deteriorating mental state had him fairly concerned.

“Hey”, he’d innocently texted his best friend, “What are you up to?”. “Just got home from work”, the slightly older man texted back, “About to go for a jog.” “Don’t overdo it”, Asahi replied with a frown. A minute later, against his better judgement, he added, “If you want to meet at the park over on sixth street, I’ll go with you.” “Sounds like a plan”, Daichi wrote back, “Half an hour?”.

From there, Asahi’s evening only continued to spiral downwards, until he was sitting alone in a hospital exam room, having just been lectured by Dachi’s neurologist on why it’s okay that Daichi thinks he’s communicating with intelligent beings of other races, so long as it doesn’t become ‘disruptive’ to the rest of Daichi’s life-- _whatever_ **_that_ ** _means_.

Asahi wound up spending over three hours in the hospital with Daichi as he underwent test after test after test before ultimately being discharged; after all of that, Daichi’s brain looked fine, and his previously scheduled follow up appointment for that Friday was cancelled.

Asahi was _exhausted._ He didn’t get home until just before quarter to nine that evening, at which point even the notion of preparing dinner was such an unappealingly arduous one that he simply elected to put in an order for chinese food before jumping in the shower, after which he promptly found himself sprawled out on the couch before the clock even struck nine. He grabbed his tv remote and half-heartedly flipped through channels while he waited for his food to be delivered, eyes straying to the clock every few minutes. _‘They said around 9:30’,_ he thought to himself, _‘I just have to find something to kill the time until then.’_ The young man would stop every so often on what looked like an interesting title, or stop for a show he knew he liked, only to find that it was midway through a rerun he’d seen half a dozen times already.

His heart nearly leapt out of his chest when his doorbell rang at 9:15-- fifteen minutes earlier than expected. He dashed over to the door of his apartment, eager to accept his delivery so that he could eat his dinner and finally get to bed. He was quite surprised, then, to find that the person standing on his stoop was distinctly _not_ the delivery guy from Bamboo Gardens. Instead, upon opening the door, Asahi found an attractive young man with blond hair that was so light it was almost white standing on his welcome mat beaming up at him.

“Hi, Azumane Asahi”, grinned the newcomer, “My name’s Sugawara Kōshi. I apologize for the late intrusion, but I was wondering if you had a minute?”.

Asahi looked up and down his hall before nodding once. “Uh, sure”, he said quietly, “How can I help you?”. Sugawara smiled politely. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, based off of the stories about Asahi that he’d heard over the years but somehow the man in front of him wasn’t quite matching what he’d expected. If anything, the man before him somehow seemed… _colder_ than he’d imagined him to be. Sugawara did his best to shrug these thoughts off, though, in favor of pushing forward with the real reason he’d appeared at the brunette’s flat late that Wednesday night. “Um”, the blond started in an effort to gather his bearings, “Well,  Daichi told me all about how his day went today, and how you were concerned about his insistence that I'm real. So-- well-- I figured I'd come by to _show_ you that I am distinctly _not_ a figment of Daichi's imagination, and hopefully put some of your concerns to rest!”

Asahi inhaled deeply. There was much about this interaction that was rubbing him the wrong way, and it wasn't just his disappointment that the man standing before him wasn't bearing his dinner. Asahi stretched briefly and looked down the open hallway once more for any sign of the delivery guy before pressing on. “Sugawara, was it?”, he asked slowly, pacing himself so as to not let so much as the slightest hint of irritation seep through his words, “Daichi has told me a lot about you too, as I'm sure you could imagine. He's quite fond of you. But, from what I understand, what you're doing is pretty dangerous for you, is that right?”. Sugawara was taken aback; this was definitely not the direction he'd expected the conversation to take. “Um, yes, that's right”, he nodded. Asahi slowly returned the nod. “So I have to ask”, he continued, “if it's so dangerous for you to come see Daichi, why even do it at all? I mean, why put yourself in that position-- what's in it for you?”. The blond took a step backwards. Something about this conversation was off, though he couldn't place exactly what. “I-- I'm not sure what you mean”, Sugawara stammered nervously. He was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the turn things were taking. Asahi simply frowned. “From my understanding, you could get in serious trouble if anyone from your world found out that you were down here consorting with humans, yet you do it anyway. I just have to ask, why are you doing it, if it's so risky for you? What makes an ordinary accountant like Daichi worth whatever punishment could be waiting for you?”.

“Well, Daichi isn't ordinary”, Sugawara said blankly, as if it were the simplest, most obvious answer in the world, “He's my soulmate, and I love him very much.” Again Asahi felt the same irritation building up inside of him as he'd felt earlier that day when talking to his best friend. “Not to be rude or anything”, the brunette frowned, “But you _can’t_ love Daichi. You don't _know_ him. You've spent, what, a couple of _hours_ with him? That's not enough to decide that someone's your soulmate!”. Sugawara returned Asahi’s frown. “I’m sure, given the level of detail that you seem to know, that Daichi has told you that we’ve met nightly in the realm of dreams, has he not?”. “He _has”,_ asserted Asahi, “But, just like I told Daichi, _dreams aren’t real._ You can’t fall in love with someone just because you dream about them.”

At this, the blond took yet another step back. “Okay, well”, Sugawara started uncomfortably, “You and I seem to have some fundamentally conflicting views. I really only stopped by to show you that Daichi _isn't_ crazy, so if it's all the same to you, I'm gonna get--”. “You should leave him alone”, warned Asahi, causing the other man to stop dead in his tracks. Asahi took in a shaky breath and continued, “Nothing can come of this but pain for both of you. I don’t know what your plan is, but do you _really_ think that you can sustain a relationship for any length of time without someone else noticing? And, even then, do you _really_ think that _you’re_ the only one who’s going to be punished, after all the information you’ve shared with Daichi-- after all the information Daichi’s shared with me?”. “I-- I’m not--”, stammered Sugawara, completely caught off guard by Asahi’s sudden assertion.

“I’m sure you’re a nice guy”, Asahi said as he crossed his arms, “But Daichi’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this. He doesn’t understand the scale of the trouble you’re getting him into and, honestly, I don’t really think you do, either. I think you should put some serious thought into letting go of this fantasy you have. It can’t work. You and Daichi cannot be together. The sooner both of you realize that, the less painful it will be for both of you.”

A cold silence lingered between the two for a long minute and then, without a word, Sugawara suddenly took off, taking flight into the dark, starless night. Asahi sighed and shook his head. “This isn’t going to end well”, he hummed to himself. With one last glance down the hall in search of the delivery guy, the tall brunette stepped back into his apartment, shutting the door behind him with a newfound heaviness in his chest.

 


	9. A Loss For Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara returns to Daichi after his strange meeting with Asahi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Above the avenue..._

_ “Hey”,  _ called Sugawara gently as he climbed in through Daichi’s bedroom window at nearly ten o’clock on Wednesday night. “Hey!”, grinned the dark-haired man who eagerly leapt up from where he was seated at the edge of his bed, flinging the broken watch he’d been trying to fix down onto his nightstand before crossing over to where Sugawara was gaining his footing on the carpeting, “How’d it go?”. The seraph furrowed his brow. “It was…  _ different  _ from how I expected it to be”, he admitted. The blonde knew that he wasn’t going to be able to hide everything from the man who’d grown to know him so well over the years, but he figured that he might at least be able to downplay his strange interaction with Asahi until he was able to understand what, exactly, had happened.

“Different?”, asked Daichi with a frown, “How so?”. “I don’t know”, Sugawara replied, trying not to sound as down as he was, “You made Asahi-san sound like he was a very…  _ warm  _ individual, but the person I met was… well, distinctly  _ not.  _ I don’t know. I think… I think he doesn’t like me very much.” “Don’t be silly”, smiled Daichi as he took Sugawara’s hand and began escorting him downstairs, “He probably just wasn’t himself after all the stuff I put him through today.” “Y- yeah”, Sugawara reluctantly agreed with a hollow laugh, “That’s probably what it is…”. The two made their way to the couch where, upon sitting, Daichi grinned, “Don’t worry. One day, the three of us can all hang out together, and you’ll see that he’s just a big goofball. I’m sure you’ll love him!”

“Daichi”, Sugawara started, the weight of Asahi’s words weighing heavily on his heart, “Can we…  _ talk?”.  _ “We  _ are  _ talking”, smiled the dark-haired man. Sugawara rolled his eyes before leaning forward and resting his head on Daichi’s shoulder in a sort-of half embrace.  _ “Daichi”,  _ Sugawara said, his voice hoarse with grief,  _ “I love you. You’re all that I’ve thought about since we met. But…”.  _

A pause. 

A significant pause, broken only by Daichi asking, “But…?”. 

_ “B- But, I-- I can’t--…” _

Yet another pause.

And then a sob, followed shortly by a veritable avalanche of sobs. Daichi had no idea what happened; all he knew was that Sugawara was suddenly crying hysterically on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the blonde as best he could given the awkward positioning and held Sugawara to him.  _ “Shhh”,  _ he cooed,  _ “It’s alright. Whatever it is, we can fix it together.” _ These words, which were meant to be encouraging, only caused the young seraph to cry harder. A look of panic crossed over Daichi’s face as he soon realized he had no idea how to comfort the person he loved; his words were very clearly making things worse. Each time he spoke, the blond would quiet to listen to him, only to break out into louder hysterics upon hearing that which the human had to say. Even small reassurances such as,  _ “I love you”,  _ or,  _ “I’m here for you”, _ seemed to upset Sugawara. In the end, Daichi chose to reposition himself so that he was reclined on the couch with Sugawara resting on top of his chest, where Daichi could silently hold him close and let him cry it out; it was all he could think to do.

Daichi wasn’t quite sure when Sugawara’s fitful sobs slowed to more sporadic ones, nor was he sure of when those sporadic sobs turned into slow, labored breathing. He hadn’t noticed when his own protective, secure grip around the blond faded to a warm, reassuring embrace, which then melted away to a gentle cuddle. Daichi didn’t notice anything at all. It was, instead, Sugawara who was the first to take note of anything. This came in the form of a sharp, sudden gasp as a ray of light, which was trickling in through the blinds in Daichi’s front window, gently grazed his eyelid.

“...daylight?”, Daichi heard Sugawara sleepily ask from where hey lay atop his chest. A moment later the pleasant warmth that was Sugawara quickly lifted itself off of the dark-haired human and exclaimed, “Daylight?!”. Daichi opened his eyes and, sure enough, the room was purple with the light of day.

Sugawara sprung up from the couch and, with one glance towards Daichi, began running across the living room towards his stairs, shouting, “I’m sorry, Daichi, I’m so late-- We’ll have to talk another time!”. Daichi was hardly awake by the time he heard Sugawara run into his bedroom upstairs and run over to where he knew his window was. He heard nothing after that. 

A glance at the clock on his cable box offered Daichi the time of ‘5:09 am’. He rose from the couch, stretching slowly, and was surprised to find how much pain his back  _ wasn’t  _ in, considering the strange position he’d spent the night sleeping in. 

Sluggishly he ascended the stairs, one foot in front of another, until eventually his feet found their way to his bedroom. As he walked into his room, a slight draft kicked the curtains out, and though his heart fluttered at the mere memory of his visitor who was only moments-gone, he quietly approached the sill and closed the window tightly. He gazed into the lightening sky for a long moment, mind lost in a dream of where Sugawara might be, and what kinds of clouds the young man might be adrift on somewhere far away from Daichi’s plain little house. A thought nagged at the back of his mind, and as he turned from the window and back towards his bed, Daichi couldn’t help but wonder… what exactly  _ was  _ it that Sugawara had wanted to talk about? What was it that had the man he cared so deeply for so torn up over that he couldn’t even talk about it?

Armed with the knowledge that it would still be well over an hour before his alarm was to go off, Daichi climbed back into bed and attempted to go back to sleep. Though, attempt was all he managed to do, as his mind simply would not stop racing, replaying the same questions over and over again, wondering when he would see Sugawara again, and if he might hope to get an answer then.

 


	10. An Attempted Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara's roommates are worried about his late night disappearances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...I search among the clouds trying to see you._

_ ‘Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit’,  _ Sugawara Kōshi thought to himself in a panic, tears streaking from his eyes like rain drops as he raced across the sky in a desperate bid to beat the sun to his bedroom. The sky was painted a backdrop of dusty purples as the night sky dripped away, welcoming a new dawn far before the platinum-blond seraph was ready for it. He beat his wings as hard as he could, forcing himself higher and higher into the sky… and further and further away from the man that he loved so deeply.

He did his best to keep his mind on getting home as quickly as possible. This admittedly wasn't a difficult task, as he knew the potential consequences of being found out were definitely worth his worry. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being sent for “reeducation” once more, though the notion was gone as quickly as it had arrived. It was exceedingly rare for the seraphine government to administer such a gentle punishment for such a flagrant disregard of law so fundamentally integrated into the lives of all intelligent beings; Sugawara knew for certain that he would not be so lucky were he to get caught as an adult. His punishment would likely be death or a life term of imprisonment, but both meant the same thing as far as he was concerned: he would never be able to see Daichi again. It didn't matter to him in the slightest if he was allowed to continue to live from the confines of a cell, or even in exile somewhere far, far away with his wings clipped; to the blond-- as he’d recently come to realize-- a life without Daichi was not a life worth living.

Sugawara bit his lip as his hometown came into view. Ahead of him loomed a large cluster of cirrostratus clouds, atop which sat the seraphine city of Auris. He could scarcely think for how loud his heartbeat was in his ears; all he knew was that he had to get home as quickly as physically possible.

As he neared the city limits, he took a deep breath and forced a surge of excess energy to his chi circuits. He was only able to maintain his invisibility for about ten minutes on average, but at the speed that he was presently racing through the streets of Auris, Sugawara was certain that he would be able to make it to the confines of his apartment undetected. He pushed himself as hard as he could, beating his wings as if his very life depended on it. He truly could not believe that he’d fallen asleep  _ on top of Daichi,  _ of all places, and while the very thought of it  _ did  _ give him all sorts of butterflies in his stomach, it had been purely accidental, and it was the type of accident that Sugawara stood much to lose from.

_ “What you're doing is pretty dangerous for you, is that right?” _

The words bubbled up from deep within Sugawara at the time when he most needed them to stay put.

_ “Why are you doing it, if it's so risky for you?” _

For a moment, Sugawara saw his invisibility flicker as the harsh words of Asahi Azumane spoken mere hours before pounded inside his head.

_ “No no no”,  _ the blond muttered under his breath, choking back tears as he did his best to make his way his destination,  _ “I can think about Asahi’s words when I get home, but for now I actually need to  _ **_make_ ** _ it there”.  _ He quickly swept the tears from his eyes and did his best to focus on remaining unseen as he made his way to his apartment.

 

The sky was a light, rosy pink and the sun itself was almost visible when Sugawara finally tumbled through his partially open window with not a moment's energy left to spare. He was sure his invisibility ran up as he crossed over his sill, but after everything the blond had been through since the sun had begun its early ascent into the sky, Sugawara just had to trust that he'd made it without issue. He collapsed in his bed and shut his eyes, figuring he could sleep for another hour or so until his alarm was to go off for work.

“Late night?”, called a voice from across the room.

Adrenaline coursed through Sugawara’s veins as he scrambled to his feet; a sour look crossed his face the moment his eyes fell upon the owner of the unexpected voice and found that voice did not belong to a law enforcement officer or government official as he had worried in that split second of sheer panic but, instead, belonged to his roommate and best friend, Oikawa Tōru. 

Flopping face-forward onto his mattress once more, the ash-blond groaned, “Can we do this another time? If I fall asleep fast enough I can probably get another forty-five minutes before I have to get up before work.” “What  _ I  _ really want to know”, Oikawa continued, ignoring Sugawara's plea and continuing on with the conversation as if the blond had simply answered his question as he’d expected, “is why you’re sneaking in and out of your bedroom  _ window,  _ rather than using the front door like any other seraph would.” Without a moment’s thought, the blond quipped, “...so I don’t have to answer intrusive questions like this?”. Oikawa, who was unaccustomed to being sassed by anyone besides Sugawara, scrunched his nose. “Fine”, the brunette finally relented, striding huffily over to the door, “I’ll let you get your  _ precious forty-five minutes.  _ **But.** When we all get home tonight, we’re having a conversation about this. And if you don’t come home tonight, well… I guess I’ll have to find  _ someone else  _ to talk to about my concerns.”

And with that, Oikawa Tōru left Sugawara’s bedroom, closing his door behind him.

The subtleties of Oikawa’s threat were not lost on the blond, and soon Sugawara found that, as exhausted as he was, and as unappealing as the idea of working all day on minimal sleep was, he was no longer able to even shut his eyes.

 

By the time Sugawara Kōshi walked in his front door at five thirty that evening, he was completely exhausted. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Daichi was absent from his thoughts. Instead, his mind was wholly occupied by the haunting words of Asahi and the threat of the conversation Oikawa intended to have looming over him. 

In spite of this, however, Sugawara was still rather surprised when, upon entering his apartment that evening, he found all three of his roommates seated around the living room exchanging glances with one another. To be fair, the blond  _ had  _ expected Oikawa to be waiting for him; his old friend was tenacious (read: obnoxious) like that. What he  _ hadn’t  _ expected was for him to recruit both Hinata and Kenma in on this seeming intervention. As it was, Sugawara couldn’t readily recount the last time he’d so much as  _ seen  _ Kozume Kenma; the half-blond seraph generally stayed holed up in his room, only skulking out for food late at night when everyone else was fast asleep. He couldn’t begin to fathom how Oikawa had talked him into attending this…  _ whatever it was.  _

From across the room, lounging lazily on the couch, Hinata Shōyō grinned and waved cheerily at the newcomer. “Hey Suga-san!”, he chimed,  “Welcome home!”. “Finally”, groaned Kenma, turning a page in the tome he had seated on his lap, “Let's get this over with”. “Get  _ what  _ over with?”, the ash-blond asked, locking eyes with Oikawa and raising an eyebrow as he gently clicked the door closed behind him and set his messenger bag down on the floor. “Come, sit”, commanded the brunette, who sat poised with an air that stated that he was clearly the person who would be running the show tonight. Sugawara sighed. He could see no benefit in resistance at this point; slowly-- irritably-- he trudged over to the couch and sat next to Hinata.. Casting a stormy look to the brunette once more, Sugawara repeated, “Get  _ what  _ over with?”. 

“Well”, started Oikawa, straightening his posture and setting the teacup he’d gently held in his left hand down on the table before him, “We are all here today because we’re a little bit… concerned.”  _ “You’re  _ a little bit concerned”, muttered Kenma from where he was nestled up in his armchair in the corner of the room, earning him a sharp glare from Oikawa. The brunette inhaled deeply before regaining his cool and collected presence of mind and pressing on. “In the last week or so, we’ve noticed that you’ve gone missing at odd hours of the night. We’re just…  _ concerned  _ that you might be falling back into-- uh-- old  _ habits.”  _

At this, Sugawara scoffed and rolled his eyes. It was not like him to get testy, and, to be fair, he’d known the true nature of their friendship since these three had first befriended him long ago, back when he was in his first year of primary school. But still, to see their true colors stung a little.

“Wait a minute”, interrupted Hinata, sitting up from his lounging position, “How did you notice that Sugawara-san was missing?”. “Yeah”, echoed Kenma, raising an eyebrow from across the room, “Did you go into his  _ room  _ or something?”. Oikawa shot a glare at both of the younger men;  _ clearly  _ this conversation was not going the way he'd intended for it to go. “It  _ just so happened _ ”, the brunette started defensively, “That I needed to talk to my  _ best friend  _ and he wasn't here. For all I know, he could've been gone other nights, too. But I know for sure he was out two other nights this week, and then I caught him sneaking back in last night-- or should I say this morning?”. 

At this, Kenma closed his book and shrugged. “I mean, does it really matter what Sugawara is doing with his time? We're his friends, not his babysitters.” “Kenma!”, Oikawa yelled, looking as if he were about to boil over, “Your father is the minister of defense! How can you even ask if it matters?!”. At this, the half-blond shrugged passively, “My dad’s job isn’t my job, and Sugawara’s business isn’t my business. Sorry to disappoint you. Was there anything else you needed, or are we just-- I don’t know-- holding an intervention about how our roommate is spending his free time?”. 

Oikawa opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it once more, this time sputtering in a desperate attempt to regain control over the meeting he had so carefully orchestrated between the four men. “I-- We-- Kenma, you can’t--”, he spat, trying feebly to piece together any coherent string of words. Kenma stood, tucking his tome under one arm. “Right”, he nodded, “I have other things I’d like to attend to.” He was almost out of sight when he stopped and, glancing back towards the ash-blond, Kenma added, “Sorry about this, Sugawara. I should’ve known better.” “No worries!”, beamed the elder seraph and, with that, Kenma was gone. 

“Um”, started Hinata, scooting forward towards the edge of the couch, “Can I be excused too? I promised Kōji and Izumi I would practice skyball with them tonight.” The small redhead fidgeted as he waited anxiously for an answer from the older seraph who stared disdainfully at the last piece of his plan falling away from his grasp. Finally, with a scoff and a dismissive wave of his hand, Oikawa replied, “Fine,  _ go.”  _ Before he could even attempt to get another guilt-laden word out, the redhead was off the couch and out the door, with only the words, “Cool! See ya!”, trailing behind him. At this point, Sugawara could no longer restrain his laughter, which had been building up in fitful giggles since the moment Kenma had left. This, of course, was met with an even deeper scowl from Oikawa. “What?!”, he snapped, “Don't think that, just because  _ those two _ left, I'm done with you!”. “I wouldn't  _ dream  _ of it”, hummed Sugawara in a sing-song voice while simultaneously rising from the couch.

“Where are you going?!”, demanded Oikawa as he closely pursued the blond. With a coy glance backwards, Sugawara giggled, “My room”. “Why?!”, Oikawa demanded once again, “I  _ just  _ said we're not done!”. The blond shrugged, “I dunno, it  _ looks  _ like we're done here to me”. Sugawara continued to his bedroom, knowing that the seraph he'd been close friends with for such a large portion of his life wouldn't be shaken so easily. He flopped on his bed, picked up a book from his night stand, and pretended to lazily page through it while the brunette stood before him, practically steaming. 

“Sugawara”, Oikawa started slowly through gritted teeth, “Where have you been going at night?”. The blond glanced up at Oikawa and sighed. “Do we  _ have  _ to do this?”, he asked exasperatedly, “I mean, aren't I entitled to some modicum of privacy?”. The brunette sullenly shook his head. “You know I have a job to do”, he replied quietly. “Yeah”, Sugawara sulked into his book, “Be my  _ friend _ ”. Oikawa rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of Sugawara's bed. “Can you just make this easier on both of us and tell me where you keep going?”.

Sugawara sighed and propped himself up on his elbow. “Fine”, he relented, “You want to know where I've been going? I've been visiting my parents.” At this, Oikawa tossed his head back and groaned. “So now you're  _ lying  _ to me?”, he asked, the slightest note of hurt in his voice. “I'm not  _ lying _ ”, Sugawara replied with his best attempt at feigned indignation. He tried to reassure himself that he had no reason to feel bad; he was entitled to privacy, and to live his own life, just like every other seraph out there. But somehow, Oikawa's reaction was starting to make him feel more guilty than he believed he should. “You are  **too** ”, responded Oikawa severely, turning to look Sugawara in the eye. Sugawara found that it was mere moments before he could no longer hold the brunette's gaze. As he turned away, Oikawa admitted, “Your parents contacted me on my speak stone last night because they'd been trying to reach you for hours and were worried. I lied and told them you were in bed after I came in here and found out you weren't.” 

At this, Sugawara frowned and stood, crossing the room to his off-white desk. He pulled the center drawer open and, from within it, drew what would appear to the untrained eye to be a simple necklace with a large blue opal stone at the end of it. It was emitting a fierce, unnatural glow. After a moment he gently shook his head and tossed the pendant back in the drawer. “I'll deal with them later”, he muttered and, turning back to the bed, sighed, “Thanks, I guess.” Oikawa shrugged noncommittally as Sugawara sat down next to him. After a moment of silence, the brunette continued, “...You  _ know  _ this means I need to know where you were, right?”. 

Sugawara rolled his eyes then fixed his eyes on the floor. After another long silence, the blond finally began speaking. “...I wasn't ready to tell anyone yet”, he started, speaking slowly and quietly as he measured out exactly what he planned to tell Oikawa, “...But I met someone, and I'm pretty sure I'm in love.”  This statement was met with yet another pause before Oikawa jumped up and theatrically exclaimed, “What?! You're  _ serious?!”.  _ Sugawara looked up, smiled, and nodded. “Since when?! With who?!”, continued the brunette, “Why didn’t you just tell me?!”. “Like I said”, the blond smiled softly, “I wasn’t really ready to talk about it yet. And to be honest, I’m still not.” At this, Oikawa grinned knowingly at his best friend and stood up. 

“Alright, fine”, he laughed, “I’ll drop it, as long as you promise you’ll tell me more details as soon as you’re ready.” “It’s a promise”, Sugawara beamed. As Oikawa began walking towards the door, he stopped and turned back. “Suga”, he said in a voice that was a little more solemn, as if tinged with just a hint of sadness, “...you understand why I had to do what I had to do, right?”. The ash-blond nodded in gentle understanding. “You know I do. I got myself into this mess. I don’t begrudge you in the slightest. I’m sure it has to be difficult to balance our friendship with your responsibilities.” 

A strange look crossed over the brunette’s face as he gazed upon the other man but then, just as quickly as it had come, Oikawa shook it off and excused himself. “Don’t go sneaking out now~”, he chimed as he closed Sugawara’s bedroom door behind him.

The blond sat with the same smile plastered on his face as he listened to Oikawa’s footsteps disappear down the hall, his smile fading with every distancing step until he was left sitting with his heart sunken so low that it might as well have been through the floor.

_ ‘Why?’,  _ he asked himself,  _ ‘Why couldn’t I just be  _ **_normal_ ** _ and fall in love with a seraph with everybody else?’.  _ He fell back against his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. Between having just lied to his own best friend and having had to defend himself from Daichi’s best friend the night before, he was feeling more than a little bit guilty for his inability to let go of his fixation on the dark-haired human.  _ ‘Why?’,  _ he repeated again in his head,  _ ‘Why couldn’t anything just be  _ **_easy?’._ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took so long! I've got a lot going on in my life right now. I'm desperately searching for a new job (putting in applications like, every day) and was just admitted to college! So, lots going on, but I'll be able to write a lot more often once I finally get a job with a better schedule. (Not that anyone asked for an update, but, hey, I'm giving it c: )
> 
> Also, as is evidenced by this chapter, I'm going to be adding more and more characters from Haikyuu as I go. It's going to be a fairly lengthy fic, and I'm pleased with how I have my personal favorites spread out. I have chosen Sugawara's roommates specifically for a reason, which will reveal itself as the fic goes on :)


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